Veldskoen Shoes Makes the Olympic Team in Amazing Full-Circle Story

The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) has named VELDSKOEN as the official off-field shoe of South African Olympians, for this year’s games in Tokyo… which is a wonderful full-circle moment for the founders of the company.

Veldskoen Shoes was started because of a conversation between Nick Dreyer and Ross Zondagh about the controversial outfits that were worn by the South African team at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.

Veldskoen explained on its page this week:

“Unimpressed with the kit the SA athletes wore to the opening ceremony, our founders began imagining what they could have worn that would have better represented South Africa. The answer they came up with was a pair of traditional Vellies but injected with a pop of colour. Our signature look today.
Well, the story has come full circle. VELDSKOEN has been chosen as the official off-field shoe for South African athletes at this year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo. We’ve been pinching ourselves all day. What a dream come true!”

Nick and Ross enlisted the skills and imagination of an old school friend, and digital marketing expert, Nic Latouf. And soon the shoes were stepping out across SA… and the world! The company says that “in 2019 VELDSKOEN gained the attention of international celebrity investors Marc Cuban, and Ashton Kutcher, and a United States leg of the business was started. VELDSKOEN is currently selling in 28 countries, with independent online stores and also large retail partners like Takealot and Outdoor Warehouse.”

SASCOC President Barry Hendricks announced Veldskoen Shoes as one of its sponsors for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games on Wednesday, 100 days before the games commence in Japanon 23 July.

He said: “This sponsorship will ensure that our country’s Olympians and Paralympians will showcase Veldskoen as a local brand internationally thereby exhibiting our national pride and sharing in the spirit of being South Africans. Thank you for your commitment and assistance to Team South Africa.”

Veldskoen Fridays! South Africans urged to get involved!

CEO and Founder of Veldskoen Shoes, Nick Dreyer said: “We want people to show their support for our teams regardless of whether they’re watching from the stadium or from home. Businesses can buy Veldskoen for their work teams and share in the spirit of being South African, by partaking in Veldskoen Fridays. It’s one day of the week when we want the whole country to wear their vellies to work.”

Veldskoen MD Ross Zondagh added: “It is very surreal for me. Veldskoen started as a moment of curiosity, a little dream. And now, our little dream will be walking out of that stadium tunnel to the opening ceremony. The whole world will see them.”

In less than five years, VELDSKOEN has grown from a small internet start-up to a global brand… and perhaps after the Olympics and Paralympics 2021, SA’s iconic veldskoen shoes will be as familiar to the world as the country’s vuvuzela has been since the Football World Cup in 2010.

As Ross says, it’s a “proud moment for local businesses This is our opportunity to share the beautiful, vibrant, resilient, light-hearted South African-ness with the world! And it’s fun. It’s seriously fun.”

WATCH We’re all connected through our South African-ness

P.S. Look who was spotted wearing Veldskoen Shoes last month!