Wits to build R250m sports complex

The Wits University education campus in Parktown yesterday announced a project to kickstart the envisaged state-of-the-art Wits Brian and Dorothy Zylstra Sports Complex. 

“The Wits Sports Complex is a flagship Wits Centenary Project and will feature the Zylstra Sport and Health Building, the Zylstra Aquatics and Rowing Centre, and a 44-bed Zylstra Residence for elite athletes. Construction is expected to be completed by 2025,” the university said in a statement.

“The Wits Sports Complex is made possible by a R250m legacy investment from the Zylstra family and the Skye Foundation.”

Phil Zylstra, on behalf of the Zylstra family and the Skye Foundation, said: “We feel that the Wits Brian and Dorothy Zylstra Sports Complex will be a landmark building and a resource not only for Wits, but for the schools and sporting organisations from SA and abroad that will use it. It will be a fitting testament to my parents, Brian and Dorothy, and a sign of gratitude for the role the university played in many of our lives.”

Jon Patricios, professor of sport and exercise medicine at Wits, said: “This one-of-a-kind sports complex will usher in an exciting future for the next 100 years of Wits Sport and Health, servicing our greater Wits community through dynamic teaching, research, high performance training, and clinical practice.”

“Apart from providing our students with world-class sports facilities, it will serve as a hub for sporting events, both at the university and at national level. It will enable us to host inter-university, inter-school, and national tournaments, thereby bringing together athletes from across the country and promoting sportsmanship and healthy competition.”