16 September 2005 Press Release SOUTH AFRICA EXCELS AT DELPHIC GAMES, MALAYSIA A high-powered delegation from Johannesburg, South Africa made their way to Kuching, Malaysia for the Delphic Games 2005 which took place from 1 to 7 September 2005. The visit formed an integral part of the build-up to the staging of the Junior Delphic Games in Johannesburg in 2007. Christine Walters, a member of the Mayoral Committee of the City of Johannesburg was present in Kuching to represent the Mayor and led a 40 strong delegation to that included Eddy Khosa, acting CEO of The Johannesburg Tourism Company, lead partner for the Games, and Jill Sumption, CEO of the South African National Delphic Council. There were 21 performers from South Africa participating in the Kuching Games, and they didn't let South Africa down. In true Mzantsi fashion, they proved to be tough competitors in all the categories they participated in and were a popular team. "There was a wonderful spirit in the South African team, which was applauded by many of our international counterparts," said Jill Sumption. They brought home gold medals (shared with India) in both Traditional Music and Traditional Dance and also got gold for winning the Audience Prize in both Music and Dance. Six South Africans won individual gold medals. They were Masoja Msiza (storytelling), Diek Grobler and Ernest Kgasoe (painting), Joseph Ndlovu (textiles), Simon Mthimkulu (sculpture) and Jan van der Merwe (installation art). "We held our heads high in Malaysia," said Eddy Khosa. "Our performers excelled and I believe that with the experience they have had in Malaysia they will raise their standards even higher at the next event. For all of us, the performers and those who will be involved in the 2007 Games in Johannesburg, Kuching was a learning curve." "We also assisted in respect of half of the production and choreography of the Games," says Christine Walters. She said that the Delphic Games, which originated in Greece 2 300 years ago as a peaceful competition of the arts, with the Modern Games starting in 1997, were "a tool that will connect our diversity as an international family as we celebrate our cultures and heritage and spread peace in the world". At the closing ceremony of the Kuching Games, Clr Walters received the Delphic Games flag to bring back to Johannesburg for the staging in the city of the Junior Delphic Games in 2007, as mandated by the International Delphic Council. Khosa says, "I have no doubt that the 2007 Junior Delphic Games will be a resounding success and add further lustre to the image of Johannesburg as a city that can stage big international events smoothly and efficiently." The Junior Delphics are an international arts and culture competition open to anyone 18 years and under and 5 000 participants from around the world are expected to be in Johannesburg for the Games. "We are looking forward to broad participation from each of our nine provinces at the Games in 2007," says Clr Walters. The participants will compete in a wide range of categories, among them the performing arts in music, theatre and dance, visual arts, fine arts, graffiti, film making, photography, storytelling, poetry, fashion and many more. The venue for the Games will be Newtown in Johannesburg and they are to be held in August 2007. The Delphic Games reach back 2 600 years, having been held in ancient Greece for about a thousand years as a peaceful competition of the arts. They were dedicated to the god Apollo, who symbolised light and beauty, music, poetry and the healing arts. Held in the year preceding the Olympic Games, they became to arts and culture what the Olympics were to sport. Both the Delphic and Olympic Games were banned by Emperor Theodosius in 394 AD. In 1994 the Delphic spirit was revived with the formation of the International Delphic Council in Berlin. The first Junior Delphics of the modern era took place in Tbilisi, Georgia, in l997, followed by the first Modern Delphics in Moscow in 2000. The holding of the Delphic Games and the Junior Delphic Games are now staggered over a four-year cycle, with the Delphics being held every four years and the Junior Delphics slotting in midway through the cycle. Thus, the Second Junior Delphics were held in Dusselfdorf, Germany, in 2003 with the Second Delphic Games currently being staged in Kuching. In 2002 the International Delphic Council awarded the 2007 Junior Delphics to Johannesburg. ENDS ISSUED ON BEHALF OF THE JOHANNESBURG TOURISM COMPANY. FOR FURTHER MEDIA QUERIES, CONTACT SELINA JARDIM ON (011) 463-6372 OR EMAIL selina@findleypr.co.za