Combining excellence and skill has always been one of the hallmarks of the North-West University (NWU), and the Centre for Health and Human Performance (CHHP) is no exception.
The CHHP building on the Potchefstroom Campus, which was officially opened by Prof Bismark Tyobeka, principal and vice-chancellor of the NWU, on 23 March, houses the expertise of the Institute of Psychology and Wellbeing, the Institute for Sport Science and Development and the Institute for Biokinetics.
The CHHP, a world-class facility, was created in 2018 when the executive dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Prof Awie Kotzé, initiated the process of combining these entities.
“This created synergy between all the professionals in the various institutes to allow the maximisation of the services, teaching, learning, training and research opportunities in this multi-disciplinary health science environment,” explains Bertus le Roux, business and operations manager of the CHHP.
After some refurbishing and overhauling of the former High Performance Institute for Sport (HPI), the CHHP found a new home. The CHHP is strategically located between the “new” HPI and the NWU Sports Village and overlooks the Fanie du Toit Sports Grounds, which more than 1 000 international athletes call home every year.
“The CHHP renders comprehensive, quality, evidence-based services in the field of health and human performance, underpinned by neuroscience. The aim is to make a meaningful difference to the corporate market, elite and other sports people, as well as the general public, across the life cycle. The dream of the NWU CHHP is to become the most respected, premium, sought-after centre of its kind in the country when it comes to all aspects relating to optimising health and human performance. With this new world-class facility we are able to make this dream a reality,” says Le Roux.
He further states that: “The first major step in this direction was when the board of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) officially endorsed the NWU in June 2022 as their official partner to host, operate and manage the Total Excellence Programme (TAE) for the next two Olympic and Paralympic cycles. This will include the Commonwealth Games, the World and Continental Championships and other major competitions.
The NWU will serve as the service delivery vehicle for elite sport in South Africa, including but not limited to medical services, sports science, psychology, nutrition and biokinetics, as well as a vehicle for talent identification and development during this period. The SASCOC board agreed that the NWU is best placed to work collaboratively with SASCOC, the athletes, coaches, the respective high performance hubs across the country and other relevant stakeholders to inclusively implement the optimum performance process across the next two Olympic and Paralympic cycles up to 2028.”
