South African Football Association (SAFA) Chief Medical Officer, Dr Thulani Ngwenya, has been appointed by FIFA as a Doping Control Officer for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup to be held in Argentina this month.
The tournament will run from 20 May to 11 June 2023 and Dr Ngwenya will be travelling to the South American country tomorrow (13 May 2023). He is the only Doping Control Officer from the continent.
“I’ll be leaving tomorrow, and we will be coming back on 31 May 2023. I will be stationed in the city called Mendoza. This is where I will be and and I’ll be responsible for that stadium,” he said.
“So I’m looking forward to it. I’m really, really excited, I’m grateful to FIFA and I’m also grateful to SAFA for creating such an opportunity and platform for me. And not only SAFA, I am also grateful to CAF for creating this platform for me because, I mean, if I did not get an opportunity at SAFA and CAF. FIFA was never going to know about me.
“I’m really grateful, excited and looking forward to mingling with other professionals or other colleagues, and also learning, because in each and every opportunity, it’s always an opportunity to learn. So I’m looking forward to learn and also bring back the knowledge and help South African football, and also African football at large.”
Dr Ngwenya has become one of the most respected experts within the sports medicine field and a few months ago he was appointed as the Doping Control Officer for the World Cup in Qatar last year. He also served in the same position during the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon last year.
He is also a CAF Medical Commission Member.
SOURCED FROM THE SAFA WEBSITE.
