Curro backs SA’s swimmers in Beijing and invites business to follow

Twenty-one South African swimmers are less than a month away from competing at the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) in Beijing. Curro is proud to back them with a commitment of R500 000 to help fund travel expenses, with the balance going towards hosting a national training camp at one of its schools next year.

Curro invites other South African corporates and foundations to join in support.

The funding will help swimmers meet some of the costs of competing in Beijing and will secure opportunities for national team members to share their experience with young Curro swimmers.

The championships take place from 1 to 6 December.

Curro will host a national training camp in 2027 for the South African team, and Swimming South Africa (SSA) will work with their swimmers and Curro to attend clinics at its schools for coaches and learners.

“We are serious about swimming. This is like contracting Rassie and the Springboks to work with our learners! What an amazing opportunity for them,” said Cobus Loubser, CEO of Curro.

The initiative gives Curro learners the chance to meet South Africa’s top swimming talent, learn from their experience, and gain insight into what it takes to compete at the highest level.

It also builds on Curro’s existing investment in swimming. Through Curro Aquatics, the group offers development opportunities from learn-to-swim to high-performance swimming, and the annual Curro Aqua Elite Gala brings together some of the country’s top school swimmers from Curro and other schools.

Curro has an impressive history of creating opportunities for learners to compete, develop, and experience excellence through a range of platforms. It already hosts some of South Africa’s largest school athletics events (Curro Podium), football (Curro Halala Cup), swimming (Curro Aqua Elite), and e-sports events, while Curro Create is the largest arts and culture programme of its kind in the country.

“We are patriotic South Africans, and we feel compelled to assist the team,” said Loubser. “This sponsorship helps dreams come true for swimmers who have worked their whole lives for this opportunity.

“It speaks to what Curro does. We create opportunities and help prepare learners for a hopeful future. Next year should be an exciting year for Curro’s thousands of young swimmers when they meet and train with their heroes.”

Acting President of Swimming South Africa, Zikie Molusi, expresses his gratitude on behalf of the entire aquatics community for the support received from Curro. “We hope that this heralds a relationship which facilitates a unique and powerful public-private-community-partnership model,” he commented.

“Curro wants to help create success in South Africa and beyond,” said Loubser.

“We challenge other corporates and foundations to stand with the South African swimmers alongside us. Work with us to create more opportunities in this space and the many others where the right support at the right time makes all the difference.”

Organisations can contribute any amount, paid to SSA with a swimmer’s name as the reference. SSA’s final payments for the team are due on 25 November 2026, so Curro encourages interested organisations to come forward as soon as possible.

“Education is about more than the classroom,” Loubser continued. “When young people see what discipline, commitment, and talent look like up close, it shapes what they believe is possible. That is why we are glad to play a part in this, and why we hope others will join us.”