JEFFREYS BAY – The South African Beach Wrestling Championships, with Je’Vista joining as event title sponsor, will take place at Supertubes in Jeffreys Bay on 28 March from 08:00, marking the first time the event will be hosted in the town.
Beach wrestling differs from traditional wrestling in that matches are shorter and consist of only one round, with the first competitor to obtain three points declared the winner.
Eastern Province head coach, Lionel Botha, said that it was a significant occasion for the Eastern Province (EP) to host the national event, as the province boasts the current South African beach wrestling champions – crowned overall winners of the 2025 tournament.
He said that spectators could look forward to high-quality wrestling, with all EP’s 2025 South African champions set to return to defend their titles.
Botha further confirmed that a total of 250 wrestlers from 13 provinces were expected to compete.
He added that the sponsorship was a major boost for the province.
“To have Je’Vista as the title sponsor means a lot for EP wrestling to host a big SA tournament. Their support means that we can call the tournament our own and give more EP wrestlers the opportunity to compete,” said Botha.
Additional local sponsors include Wacky Waterpark, Royal Casino, Supertubes Adventure World, Klinicare JBay and Relay EMS.
Botha added that other local businesses have shown interest.
Meanwhile, the EP trials will be hosted by the Young Park Primary School in Gqeberha in their own beach wrestling pit built specifically for the trials, with more than 70 entries expected to participate.
“The wrestlers will go all out because if they do not perform, they will not be picked for the EP team,” said Botha.
Remarkably, EP wrestler Stefan Roberts (15), has qualified for the Protea national team in the freestyle and Greco-Roman styles and will compete at the African Wrestling Championships in Egypt in April after finishing first at the recent national trials.
“Stefan has been EP’s top wrestler for two consecutive years, consistently dominating his age groups in both styles and excelling in his weight class. He is only 15 years old, but has made the team as an U17 wrestler,” said Botha.
He said that the last time an EP wrestler represented the national team was 16 years ago, when Carlo van Wyk made the team.
Botha said the Jeffreys Bay event would make use of local food stalls and restaurants, with Relay EMS from JBay providing medical services.
The live streaming company is also local, while guest houses and the Big Fish Caravan Park have been booked for the tournament.
“The impact of the event will be huge for EP because we can enter a big team as we do not have travelling and accommodation expenses.”
Botha added that the province hoped to impress the SA Board of Wrestling.
“We hope that we can put together a tournament for the SA Board of Wrestling so that they can see that JBay and its Blue Flag beaches are the best in the country, and the location of the beach to all the restaurants and accommodation is just unbelievable.
“We hope to give our sport more exposure and show the rest of the Eastern Cape that beach wrestling has its place in modern wrestling.”
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