The North West Parks Board (NWPB) decided to get on board as they are the custodians of 15 nature reserve parks within the NW province and Bloemhof Dam is inside one of the parks. The chairperson of the marketing subcommittee of the NWPB, Pam Mashiane, told OFM News that whilst these World Fishing Games are held across South Africa, Bloemhof specifically hosts two competitions, namely are the Carb and Feeder competitions.

She said that the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) welcomed 50 countries with 1800 participants in the 2019 games which have been recorded as a first, as it is the very first time these games are held outside of Europe.

Mashiane added that Bloemhof Dam Nature Reserve has a wide variety of animals, in particular, Black Wildebeest, Eland, Gemsbok and Springbok and most importantly it is a fishing haven and as such it is well known as a prime angling spot. She further says that in 2008, the NWPB instituted a legacy programme in conjunction with the South African Freshwater Bank Angling Federation (SAFBAF) in Bloemhof with the aim to popularise and encourage the fishing sport amongst the locals. To date, at least five local schools are part of this community development programme, where the youth and their teachers in the disadvantaged communities are taken through various fishing “clinics”. In fact, last week our scholars experienced an exciting fishing clinic with the early arrival of some of our guests. We remain committed to this initiative and are very hopeful that in the next world championships; we shall have the Bloemhof community shine with fishing stars representing our country.

NWPB invites members of the public to come and support the fishing championships from the 10th until the 17th of February at the Bloemhoef Dam in the North West.

OFM News