Both South Africa's water polo teams have played their first group games - the women lost 12-5 to New Zealand on Sunday and the men went down 14-4 to Germany on Monday - but the country will be represented in two finals on Tuesday.

Beijing Olympians Chad Ho and Natalie du Toit will lead the South African charge when the open water 5km races finally get underway at the Ostia wharf.

The open water programme has been changed twice in only a few days.

On Saturday all six events - 5km, 10km and 25km for men and women - were postponed after overnight storms and high sea waters damaged the wharf which will be used for the start and finish.

And on Sunday the programme was altered again in the wake of rough seas.

Organisers considered changing the venue, but confirmed on Sunday that the 5km races would take place on Tuesday, both 10km finals will be held on Wednesday, and the 25km marathons are scheduled for Saturday.

And while none of the South African quartet are favourites for medals on Tuesday, Ho and Du Toit will look to improve on their impressive performances in Beijing last year.

Ho was ninth in the 10km race at the Olympics, finishing only 21,5 seconds behind Dutch gold medalist Maarten van der Weijden.

And the 17-year-old has shown good form in a busy season. Ho won three titles at the South African Open Water Swimming Championships in Maselpoort in February and a week later was third in the open men's race at the Midmar Mile.

Du Toit is one of the most recognisable faces in South African sport, but she is unlikely to be challenging for medals in the shortest open water race on Tuesday.

She was fourth over 10km at last year's Open Water World Championships in Spain, qualifying for a place at the Beijing Games where she became the first disabled person to carry a nation's flag at the opening ceremony.

In Beijing the 25-year-old amputee was 16th in the 10km race, finishing 1:22 behind winner Larisa Ilchenko of Russia.

But the 10-time Paralympic gold medalist has also shown tremendous form this year, winning both the 5km and 10km races at the national championships - the latter by more than 10 minutes - and she will be out to prove herself against the best in the world once again.

Both Ho and Du Toit will also compete in the 10km races on Wednesday.

Danie Marais and Dominique Dryding, both only 16, will join their more experienced team-mates in Tuesday's 5km races after finishing second behind Ho and Du Toit respectively at the nationals in February.

They are both South African champions over 3km in the 15-16 years age group and will look to gain experience at the highest level

Source:  supersport.co.za