Century City Sports Festival

Discover the fun and sporty side of life at Century City with an action-packed weekend of sports tournaments

This event is old. Read about the 2021 Hot Summer of Touch touch-rugby tournament.

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A city within our city, Century City is known as a veritable hub where one can find a plethora of activities and delights. One such example is the annual Century City Sports Festival, which is a highly anticipated event on the Cape Town sporting calendar, returning for its 9th edition this year. The adrenaline-filled weekend takes over Central Park at Century City from Thursday, 2 until Sunday, 5 March 2017, with a schedule that’s got something for everyone, irrespective of whether you’re a water baby, road racer or field fanatic.

The perfect marriage between competitive sports and wholesome family fun, this four-day sporting event is aimed at both corporate teams looking to bond through sports, as well as individuals looking for their next adrenaline fix. Of course, the event is also the perfect place for supporters and spectators to enjoy great entertainment and activities, tuck into tasty treats, and cheer from the sidelines.

Sponsored by Coca-Cola, Canal Walk and other brands, the festival perfectly showcases the diversity of the location and its warm, inclusive feel. Promising plenty of excitement, there are multiple reasons why this is one sports festival to diarise.

10 REASONS TO GO TO THE 2017 CENTURY CITY SPORTS FESTIVAL

THE CENTURY CITY 10-KM EXPRESS: The Century City 10-km Express is the festival’s signature event, taking place on Saturday morning with thousands of runners expected to participate. This fast, flat race through the thriving mini-city and around Intaka Island is both a great opportunity to clock a personal best and a brilliant chance to win a hefty prize purse of R10 000; the top runners in each of the categories will also be awarded cash prizes and all finishers will go home with a medal. Entry costs range between R35p/p and R91p/p and registration begins at 5:30am. You can enter online in advance or at the Century City Park Run on Saturday, 25 February 2017.

BOOKING INFO: Tatum Sieni - tatum@centurycity.co.za

THE 2.5-KM FUN RUN/WALK: For those who are just looking to stretch their legs a bit, there is a 2.5-km fun run/walk as a more leisurely and family-friendly alternative taking place on Saturday. With a scenic route and a relaxed pace, this is a great way to unwind whilst soaking up the excitement of the crowd alongside fellow walkers. Entry costs R25p/p.

BOOKING INFO: Tatum Sieni - tatum@centurycity.co.za

CORPORATE & SCHOOLS TEAM SPORTS: There are a number of ways for teams to participate in the sports festival. Corporate groups looking to bond might be interested in the corporate touch rugby event which promises to be the ideal antidote to boardroom boredom. There’s also a touch rugby match for schools seeking to take home the title. Alternatively, there’s five-a-side soccer for those lusting after some footie action at the Fives Futbol, a junior six-a-side cricket tournament for dads and kids and Curro Primary will be hosting a schools cricket tournament for mini Morkels and Amlas to bring their best bowling and batting to the fore.

BOOKING INFO: Touch Rugby: Neil De Beer - capetown@touchrugby.co.za | Fives Futbol: Keith Gregory - keith@fivesfutbol.co.za | Dads and Kids Mini Cricket: Craig Homan - craig.h@curro.co.za | Curro Schools Cricket by invite only

A CIRCUIT CYCLING KERMESSE: Typically a Western European style of road bicycle race, the kermesse involves a series of laps over a set distance, and is all about speed and endurance. Avid cyclists are encouraged to enter and put the pedal to the metal in an attempt to out-cycle the competition. As a thrilling spectator sport, you don’t need to be a cyclist to appreciate the pace and agility of the participants.

BOOKING INFO: Steve Maritz - steve.maritz@za.bp.com

WATCH THE DRAGONS ROAR BY: Not only streamlined and fast but also beautiful to look at, these boats are steeped in legend and have a long history and association with Asia. A dragon boat team typically comprises 22 people, including a drummer who keeps time for the crew. The fierce man-powered vessels fly through the water at significant speeds which make them great to watch. Adorned with dragon heads, they’ve become an important part of South African boating culture. 

BOOKING INFO: Abdul Edross - agedross@yebo.co.za

CRAZY CANOE ACTION: Dexterity, ferocity and excellent ball skills are all talents required for canoe polo. Combining polo with canoeing, competitors race around, flicking the ball with their paddles until they manage to score a goal. Tactical and fast, this is both a thrilling game to take part in and to watch. There will also be canoe races at the festival, whereby four competitors at a time will take part in a number of circuit races.

BOOKING INFO: Canoe Polo: Iain Clarke - iain@jenzi.co.za | Canoe: Richard Kohler - richkman@gmail.com

STAND UP PADDLEBOARDING: Combining balance and speed, stand up paddleboarding (SUP) has exploded in popularity in recent years. Originating as an offshoot from surfing in Hawaii, competitors stand on a surfboard-like board and paddle their way around the flat water course. On Sunday, 5 March, the festival plays host to the National 10-km SUP race where a number of elites will compete for the title.

BOOKING INFO: Mike Oxley - +27 (0)84 704 5270 

SNAG GOLF: SNAG stands for 'Starting New At Golf' and is the perfect way to try your hand at the popular corporate sport. Enter a team and learn the rules of the game from professional golfers such as Sally Little, who will be at the event.

BOOKING INFO: Rita Garrod - rita@caylixsport.co.za 

LOTS OF FUN FOR YOUR LITTLE ONE: Aside from all the sporting action on the cards, there are some cool activities that don’t require too much stamina. Kids can play to their hearts’ delight at the kids’ creative corner where they will find jumping castles, face painting stalls and more.

WALK THROUGH THIS BIO-DIVERSE SPACE: While Century City is best known for housing one of the biggest shopping centres in South Africa and ‘the wildest place in Africa’ (Ratanga Junction), what many don’t realise is that the expansive space is also home to the Intaka Island – a thriving 16-hectare biodynamic wetland conservation area and bird sanctuary that also acts as a water filter for the 8-km canals. Visitors can check out the various walking routes through the wetlands and take a boat trip down the canals. Entry to the nature reserve as well as a boat ride costs R35p/p for adults and R25p/p for children.

PROGRAMME FOR THE 2017 CENTURY CITY SPORTS FESTIVAL

Date	Sport	Time	Venue
2 March	SNAG Golf	4pm - 7pm	Central Park
3 March	Junior Touch Rugby	3pm - 6pm	Central Park
Dragon Boat (Clubs 2400m and 1000m)	6:30pm	Grand Canal
4 March	Century City 10-km Express	7am	Central Park
2.5-km Family Fun Run/Walk	7:15am	Central Park
Dragon Boat (Clubs 200m, Mixed Schools 100m)	9am - 5pm	Grand Canal
Corporate Five-a-side Soccer	10am - 8pm	Fives Futbol
Six-a-side Cricket	12pm - 6pm	Central Park
Curro Junior Cricket	2pm - 8pm	Curro Primary
5 March	Cycling Kermesse	7:30am - 12pm	Link Road
Stand Up Paddleboarding	9am - 12pm	Grand Canal
Canoeing	12pm - 2pm	Grand Canal
Canoe Polo	2pm - 5pm	Grand Canal
Corporate Touch Rugby	12pm - 4pm	Central Park

ENTRY FEES & REGISTRATION FOR THE 2017 CENTURY CITY SPORTS FESTIVAL

Spectator access to the event is completely free, and remember there’s R5 ALL DAY parking at Canal Walk. Do note that select activities carry additional costs. Participants can enter the 10-km Express race online via EntryTime.com (online entries close on Wednesday, 1 March 2017). Please refer to the Centurycity.co.za website for more information. The EntryTime.com online entry costs are as follows:

10-KM EXPRESS RACE
ADULTS: Licensed runners	R57p/p
JUNIORS: Licensed runners	R35p/p
ADULTS: Unlicensed runners	R91p/p
JUNIORS: Unlicensed runners	R50p/p
2.5-KM FUN WALK/RUN
All participants	R30p/p

Registration for both runs will take place on Saturday morning from 5:30am. For more information on how to sign up for the team sports, water-based events and cycling kermesse, see the contact details in each of the sports paragraphs in the article.

For more information, contact Tatum Sieni by phoning +27 (0)21 552 6889 or emailing tatum@centurycity.co.za.

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