By Nangamso Mabindla

Buffalo City will be on display when South Africa's finest young athletes descend on the city in April 2004 for the SA Games.

Preparations for this major event, aimed at identifying talent that can be nurtured into world-class medal winners, are already under way and organisers believe the SA Games will be a "superlative and exuberant event".

The games will be launched in East London on November 6, when the official games mascot will be unveiled.

"There is talent in our country, but we need to go out there and find it," said South African Sports Commission chief executive, Dr Joe Phaahla. "The SA Games is an excellent platform to discover and nurture that talent."

The Eastern Cape is one of the poorest provinces in the country, Phaahla said. "Some people have discovered that sport is one of the ways to escape poverty. So with the SA Games, we are trying to give these youngsters exposure. Who knows one of them might participate in bigger events such as the Olympics."

Phaahla expressed his satisfaction with the ongoing preparations.

The games project is a joint initiative between the commission, the Buffalo City Mayor's Office and Nosimo Balindlela, the provincial MEC for the Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture.

Phaahla said the organisers would like to involve people from all areas of the province. "We need to highlight the involvement of rural communities in the preparations as well as their participation in the games."

A much-anticipated effect of the SA Games would be the exposure that Buffalo City and the Eastern Cape Province would receive. A successful event would "generate huge exposure for the City and highlight its ability to host national events", Phaahla said.

The Eastern Cape government had thrown its weight behind Buffalo City's hosting of the games, with Balindlela reaffirming her commitment to ensuring a successful SA Games.

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