Aths can be SA's No.1 sport

‘Athletics can be SA’s No 1 sport’
Feb 9, 2010 1:53 PM | By Jenny Bernstein, Sapa


Athletics can be the number one sport in South Africa if properly administrated, says Ray Mali, interim head of Athletics South Africa’s (ASA) board.

Speaking at the launch of the 2010 Yellow Pages athletics series in Johannesburg on Tuesday, Mali said he was confident ASA was back on the right track and would be ready for a newly elected board when his tenure was over.

“Athletics can be the number one sport if properly managed for the benefit of athletics and not administrators.

“My term as head of the interim board ends on May 21 and I’m confident will have completed my work with the team and paved the way for fresh elections for a permanent board.”

It was clear that no one has been happy with the way athletics in South Africa has been run over the last few years, but Mali foresaw a rosy future.

“Unless we turn our sport into a truly professional setup run by professionals, I will have missed my goal,” the gently spoken Mali concluded.

The sponsors confirmed they too have more confidence in the future and did not yield lightly when making their decision to renew their investment.

Managing director of Trudon, Thabo Seopa, said their decision to continue sponsoring athletics, to the tune of R20million over the next three years, was only made after some major issues were addressed.

“We had to agree on a technical plan and we insisted all six of the meetings have to comply with IAAF standards,” said Seopa.

“ASA will also ensure there is a good representation of “A” standard athletes competing on each occasion.

“And, of course, the public is very important to us. To this end, we have an agreement with the national broadcaster that both the Junior and Senior Track and Field Championships will be live on television.”

Highlights of the six-meeting series will also be televised on the night which is one of the reasons some of the meetings will be held on different nights of the week, away from the tradition of all the meetings falling on a Friday night.

Yellow Pages have once again come to the party with bigger athlete incentives.

There will be a female and male “Athlete of the Meet” worth R15 000 apiece, as well as a female and male athlete award at the Senior Champs, worth R30 000 each, and the ultimate prize of R100 000 each for the female and male athletes of the season.

To qualify for the grand prize, athletes will have had to participate in at least three series meetings and in the senior champs.

The series will be used to prepare athletes for the Commonwealth Games in India in October and lay the foundation for the team to participate at the 2012 Olympics in London.

Yellow Pages 2010 Series meetings: Friday, Feb 19 — Port Elizabeth Friday, Feb 26 — Durban Thursday, March 4 — Potchefstroom Wednesday, March 24 — Johannesburg Tuesday March 30 — Stellenbosch Tuesday April 6 — Tshwane The Track and Field Senior Championships will be held in Durban on March 20-21 while the Youth and Junior Champsionships will be held in Johannesburg on April 10-11.

Meanwhile the disgraced former ASA president Leonard Chuene and one of his fellow administrators have been trying to negotiate an international meet with Namibia, according to the new Namibian athletics federation president Frankie Fredericks.

Chuene and some of his cronies have done alright out of ASA, voting to sell the expensive vehicles they bought with ASA funds for ASA use - mercedes, range rover. Guess who they sold these to? Themselves. Guess for how much? One Rand. That’s 1R each, not for both cars. Geez, they don’t give top quality automobiles away quite that cheaply…ooohhhh no.

Ooooohhhh Noooooo.

By AP
Wednesday, February 10, 2010 at 1:53 p.m.

Read more: National, International, South Africa, Track and Field, South African Track and Field, Olympics, Caster Semenya

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa’s highest sports body has ordered an investigation into the finances and administration of the country’s track and field association after finding evidence that documents had been shredded or deleted from computers.

The national Olympic governing body took over Athletics South Africa last year and began probing the handling of 800-meter world champion Caster Semenya’s gender tests.

Tubby Reddy, chief executive of the Olympic organization, said on Wednesday that criminal charges could result from the probe.

It is of course welcoming news that the south africans managed to secure a domestic circuit so quickly after the sponsors withdrew last year, but it’s gonna be a long year for the south african internationals who are expected to compete domestically in feb-apr, tour europe over summer and peak in october at the Commonwealth. Wonder how other athletes from the southern hemisphere organise their season.

The same. Aussie nationals are usually in March, but have been listed for mid-April in light of the fact it will be a very long international season.

But it’s a case of priorities. You shape your training and competition phases accordingly.

Southern hemisphere coaches/athletes adept at periodisation (double or whatever) actually should be advantaged over their northern neighbours, forced indoors by freezing winters.