ASA OFFICE APPARENTLY CONTINUES TO MEDDLE IN THE AFFAIRS OF THE INTERIM BOARD AND THAT BOARD’S ATTEMPTS TO REVIVE ATHLETICS IN SOUTH AFRICA. kk
ASA board member Evans quits
Jan 19, 2010 10:55 PM | By David Isaacson
In a major blow for athletics, James Evans has resigned from Athletics SA’s interim board, citing interference from Sascoc, the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee.
The Olympic body placed the ASA under administration when it suspended the athletics body’s president, Leonard Chuene, his executive and other staff members last year.
Some Sascoc staff were sent to ASA to deal with administrative problems and the interim board was set up to oversee the running of the sport for six months.
“The Sascoc-appointed administrators, or one in particular, are taking decisions which impact on athletics without first consulting the interim board, or are acting in conflict with decisions taken by that board,” Evans’ e-mail read.
The Sascoc representative had decided to close the ASA office over December even though “there were numerous matters that required urgent attention”.
His gripes included that the office had extended 2009 licences to the end of this month without consulting the provinces or the interim board.
“It reached a stage where I realised that nothing had changed: the ASA office, which does not have a reputation for slick efficiency and competence, was still running the sport; unilateral decisions were still being made at ASA House and communication to ASA’s members was poor, if not non-existent.”
Athletics insiders say the resignation of Evans, the president of Western Province Athletics, is a major blow because, as a lawyer, he brought important skills to a struggling organisation trying to relaunch itself.
Ray Mali, Sascoc’s leading administrator at ASA, was not available for comment.
Evans stressed: “I have no issue with Mali, as he is doing his best in a difficult situation. The issue is that the ASA office, and the Sascoc-appointed administrator in the ASA office, should not be making decisions on athletics issues.”
An e-mail is circulating within athletics suggesting that ASA members consider “two possible radical options”.
Either option would require a special general meeting to vote on it.
The first option would be to hold elections for a new board, “at the same time rejecting the Sascoc interference in the sport”, the e-mail said.
The other would be to vote for the dissolution of ASA.
"The assets of ASA would then be transferred to a new body with the same aims and objectives. The provinces would not be affected as they can affiliate to the new body.
“Sascoc would automatically be ousted and any financial troubles would ‘disappear’, as no lawsuits can be brought against the new body for ASA’s bungles.”
According to the e-mail, at least six provincial members would have to convene such a meeting.