CSRC dancers became double world champions in Ballroom and Latin American in their respective categories at the Holland Dans Spektakel in 2015: Mukhtar Lee/Chantell le Roux (Amateur Class 2) and Damian Michaels/Chaeli Mycroft (Amateur Class 1).
THE CHAELI SPORTS & RECREATIONAL CLUB: Celebrating 13 years of inclusion through sports!
April 2023
Changing the lives of disabled people through sports. This year marks the 13th birthday of Chaeli Sports & Recreation Club (CSRC) a non-profit organisation founded on 12 February 2010. The CSRC provides sports and recreation opportunities for both disabled and non-disabled athletes – in the true spirit of inclusive and adaptive sports practice. Cycling, Road Running, and Ballroom/Latin American Dancing are the focus sports codes.
CSRC is the only independent dance school in the Western Cape that has dance sport for the disabled as its core focus. Dancers at the school are both disabled and non-disabled, including wheelchair dancers, intellectually impaired dancers, and sight/hearing-impaired dancers. The CSRC successfully petitioned the national dance body in 2011 to include disability dancesport sections at provincial and national championships; history in the making. Disabled dance sections were supported by the CSRC at FEDANSA National Championships from 2011-2015 and currently at SADF dance championships.
Each year Chaeli Riders comprise conventional and adaptive cyclists, including hand cyclists, buggy teams and tandem cyclists who all participate in the Cape Town Cycle Tour. In 2013, CSRC fielded 3 of the 4 buggy teams to enter the Cape Town Cycle Tour’s first buggy-specific category. Again CSRC made history with Team Beastie (Grant Kruger and Chaeli Mycroft) being the first buggy team home. Buggy teams are now an expected and celebrated part of the CTCT making the largest timed cycle race in the world one of the most inclusive global events.
At the 2016 Comrades Marathon, Chaeli Mycroft and Anita Engelbrecht became the first wheelchair athletes to complete this iconic marathon along with their running partners James Chevallier, Brett Glen and Hilton Murray. The CSRC played a key role in getting the Comrades Marathon Association to accept wheelchair athletes’ participation in the ‘Ultimate Race’, advocating for the next step for inclusive running – a long time coming as the last inclusion barrier to be broken for the Comrades was in 1975 when black and women runners were allowed to enter officially for the first time. Up until 2016 the CMA rules stated that “no wheelchairs nor mechanical devices” were allowed in the Comrades. This advocacy by CSRC resulted in a new section on wheelchair runner participation being included in the Road Running section of Atheltics SA’s rule book from 2018.
What’s the next adventure? 7in7 of course!
CSRC adaptive runner Chaeli Mycroft and her running partners Mark Ferreira and Ivo Riva will be taking on the physical and mental challenge of running 7 Comrades distances in 7 Days! Part of this challenge is a fundraiser to get more disabled duo teams on the road.
The Chaeli Sports and Recreation Club strives to promote inclusion of disabled athletes in mainstream sports and advocate for more disabled athletes to embrace a full and active life through sport. And by including non-disabled athletes in this mission makes it all the more inclusive!
The Chaeli Campaign Social Media Links
Instagram: @ChaeliCampaign
Twitter: @ChaeliCampaign
Facebook: The Chaeli Campaign
Chaeli Sports & Recreation Club Facebook: Chaeli Sports and Recreation Club