World-class sports complex to revitalise sport, health, and exercise medicine
- Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ University
The R300m Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Brian and Dorothy Zylstra Sports Complex, an integrated training, exercise, clinical practice, and research complex, launches at Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ University.
The was launched with a sneak-preview for VIPs and the international donors on Saturday, 30 May 2026.
The Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Zylstra Sports Complex opens to athletes, patients, and the public in September.
Located on the Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Education Campus in Parktown, next to the Linder Auditorium, this Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Centenary project is a flagship institute for training, exercise, teaching, research, and services in sports science and exercise medicine, in the heart of Johannesburg.
Professor Zeblon Vilakazi FRS, Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Vice-Chancellor and Principal, says: “Today we celebrate one of the largest family gifts to Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ University, which ignites a new era for our University’s sports culture. Thank you to the Zylstra family and the Skye Foundation for their generous and sustained support of their alma mater. This namesake – the Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Brian and Dorothy Zylstra Sports Complex – is a fitting way to honour two remarkable Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ alumni.”
A world-class and inclusive facility
The envisages becoming a world-class and inclusive South African facility for the promotion of physical activity, excellence in sport, and training in disciplines related to sports science and exercise medicine.
Professor Georgia Torres, Chief Operating Officer of the Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Zylstra Sports Complex and Head of the Department of Exercise Science and Sports Medicine at Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½, says: “The beauty of this building is that it’s all under one roof. There is a proximity of place that allows for the formation of an interdisciplinary clinical team, which enables process to impact human performance and health.”
What's available?
The Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Zylstra Sports Complex combines significant refurbishment of the former Impilo Building with architectural construction innovation to create a state-of the-art facility.
The Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Zylstra Sports Complex now houses enhanced and sophisticated sports and exercise grounds, facilities, and equipment, as well as consulting rooms, research laboratories, and operational headquarters. Key offerings of the Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Zylstra Sports Complex are listed below.
The Go To-Centre of Excellence for cardio-metabolic exercise rehabilitation, focusing on chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, cancer, hypertension, obesity, and diabetes.
Sports and exercise medicine and movement laboratories for sport performance, and biomechanical and clinical exercise testing and programming.
High Performance Sport gym and training facility for Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½’, national, and international high-performance teams, and serving as a hub and host for inter-school, inter-university, and national sporting events and tournaments.
Physician, physiotherapist, biokineticist, exercise clinical physiologist, sport scientist, sport psychologist, dietician, and health coach consulting rooms.
Disability sport and therapeutics, which were assessed and developed in collaboration with Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ University’s Disability Rights unit.
Interdisciplinary AI-data integration powered by partner, Technogym, which enables inter-disciplinary programming and monitoring of athletes and patients.
Comprising a global network of academically excellent interest groups, Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Sport and Health (WiSH) will drive research initiatives in the Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Zylstra Sports Complex, which also houses the Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Cricket Research Hub and Women’s Health Research Group.
WiSH Director Jon Patricios is Professor of Sport and Exercise Medicine at Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ and the originator of the concept of this integrated sports space. Patricios says:
“This one-of-a-kind Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Zylstra Sports Complex ushers in an exciting future for Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Sport and Health, servicing our greater Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ and Johannesburg community – and ultimately nationally and internationally – through dynamic teaching, research, high performance training, and evidence-based clinical practice. The multidisciplinary concept and ambitious vision of WiSH aligned with the donors’ desire to create a world-class facility at Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½. The stars have aligned!”
Academic postgraduate degrees including Master’s and PhDs in Biokinetics, Sports Science, Sports Medicine, Sports Physiotherapy, and (in 2028), the Sport and Exercise Medicine specialialization and Clinical Exercise Physiology.
Significant investment into sports scholarships and bursaries for Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ University student-athletes via Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Sport, particularly in high-performance sports at Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½, which include rugby, soccer, basketball, netball, cricket, hockey, and rowing.
Director of Sport at Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½, Mandla Gagayi says: “The Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Zylstra Sports Complex is a gamechanger for Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Sport because it allows us to adapt to the new demands and challenges of sport that have come with new sciences and technologies.”
New Aquatics Centre, including a 50m, covered, heated training pool; hot and cold pools; steam and sauna rooms; and SA’s only flume pool. Also available are a resident swim coach and lifesaving coach, as well as a synchronised swimming school and a Paralympic swim school. Unique hydrotherapy is available for intensive training or rehabilitation.
Radiology and X-ray facilities, including a DEXA machine (Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry), which is a specialised medical scanner to measure bone density and body composition. DEXA is the gold standard for diagnosing osteoporosis and assessing fracture risk.
World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) facility.
Access and costs
Monthly membership packages will enable access to all the equipment, facilities, and services at the Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Zylstra Sports Complex.
These packages are being tailored for Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ staff, students, and alumni; secondary schools; and national teams.
Discussions are underway with medical aid providers to be able to refer their members to the Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Zylstra Sports Complex, particularly those members in need of physical exercise rehabilitation.
Technogym’s ACTIVATE is the operational and commercial arm of the Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Zylstra Sports Complex. The gyms will operate using a unique model of AI-driven member journeys and integrated equipment that allows for individualized programming, taking the guesswork out of gym training.
Brian and Dorothy Zylstra and The Skye Foundation
The Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Zylstra Sports Complex is the legacy of Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ alumni Brian and Dorothy Zylstra. The VIP sneak-preview tribute launch marks the culmination and final tranche of significant and generous financial disbursements by the Zylstra family’s Skye Foundation.
Philip Zylstra, Chair of the Skye Foundation, Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ alumnus, and eldest son of Brian and Dorothy, says:
“We feel that the Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Brian and Dorothy Zylstra Sports Complex will be a landmark building and a resource not only for Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½, but for the schools and sporting organisations from South Africa and abroad that will use it. It will be a fitting testament to my parents, Brian and Dorothy, and a sign of gratitude for the role the University played in many of our lives.”