Mystery sponsors save OCC

Breaking News Update

GEORGE NEWS - The Outeniqua Chair Challenge – the pride and joy of George - is going ahead and will take place on 15 March at Carpe Diem School in George.

OCC race director Alewijn Dippenaar is over the moon that this flagship event has been saved after sponsors came on board following George Herald's front-page article last week, 23 January, highlighting the lack of sponsorships threatening to sink the 2025 OCC.

At this stage, Dippenaar is not ready to reveal who these sponsors are and will only announce their names once all the necessary sponsorships have been secured.

"We still need more sponsors to secure attractive prizes for the athletes. Prize money is essential to attract the top athletes," he said.

The Outeniqua Chair Challenge, the only race in South Africa exclusively for disabled athletes, annually attracts hundreds of local and international athletes.

It is hosted and organised by the Disabled Road Race Foundation and was founded in George in 2002 by the late Esther Watson, an occupational therapist with a passion for disabled individuals.

The race through the streets of George was almost cancelled but was saved at the last minute after George Municipality announced in July 2024 that it was cutting its annual sponsorship of the OCC by 75%.

This left the race with a shortfall of R300 000, which the organisers struggled to secure until George Herald appealed for sponsorships online and on its front page.