Ongoing oversight in sports policies

IN 1975, 43 years ago, the apartheid sports policy of South Africa was relaxed to participation but no social interaction.

This created a gap for eight coloured athletes to become the first South African blacks to participate in the Two Oceans Ultra Marathon.

These eight were John Korasie, Dolf Dampies, Jan Erasmus, Johannes Johannes, Manie Smith, Jakob Rooi, Chris Davids and Jannie Carolissen.

From an anti-apartheid point of view they were considered sellouts; even though they did not understand why they should not participate. They just wanted to run and test their stamina against white athletes. The curiosity to discover white people was also a factor.

Smith still lives in Matjiesfontein. Carolissen is out in Riebeeck Wes. The others are all out in the Paarl, Wellington area.

Forty-three years after participating in the Two Oceans they were never invited back to this great worldly sporting event.

This boggles the mind what to tell the youth who want to participate in sport. Could this be racism or sport finance capture?

Many would say that these athletes sinned by running with whites.

Today we still have sport with no social contact.

Those days the racism was so bad that we had to run in pairs to help each other. The attitude of whites was blunt.

We could not run in a white “bus” in the race. It was only University of Cape Town students and Celtic Harriers who allowed us to run with them.

Dolf Dampies was helped in the race by who is now the famous professor Tim Noakes. Carolissen (14 years old) was paced to a world record by the older John Korasie.

The others went through hell. They ran with no assistance.

I believe the Two Oceans Marathon organisation should reimburse these athletes for pain and suffering. If we don’t understand our history we shall remain in the political wilderness and repeat the same mistakes.