Athletes are spoilt, says Gary Player

PROUD ATHLETE: Zanele Situ, a former two-times javelin gold medallist, wept with joy when told she was flag-bearer for the 2016 Paralympics GARY Player, branding sport’s toppaid athletes spoilt, found himself in appreciative company at the farewell banquet for South Africa’s Olympians and Paralympians on Friday night.

SA’s golf team manager/coach for the Rio Games next month has seen the country’s three highestranked male golfers and top female player join the international exodus.

“I think professional athletes across the world are being spoilt to the hilt, high sums of money that they are earning and they’re not realising the responsibility that comes with [that] money . . .

“I would have given anything as a young man — I would have rowed over — to have an Olympic medal amongst my 18 majors and 165 victories,” said Player, 80, adding he was looking forward to marching at the opening ceremony behind flag-bearer Wayde van Niekerk on August 5.

The Games meant a lot to the athletes in attendance.

Zanele Situ, a veteran who first competed at Sydney 2000, wept with pride when she was informed she would be Team SA’s Paralympic flag-bearer.

Rower Shaun Keeling, who competed at Beijing 2008 and then failed to qualify for London 2012, has effectively spent the past eight years preparing for Rio.

At 29 he’s studying a third degree while chasing his dream of a medal.

“The Olympics is a four-year cycle, you don’t commit for one year. You put yourself in financial hurt, you do what you have to do . . . this is what I want.”

Sailor Stefano Marcia decided as a matric pupil in 2012 he wanted to get to the Olympics.

Aided by a private sponsor, his campaign to qualify for Rio cost about R2-million a year, and that was on the cheap, at times sleeping in a car during competition abroad.

Civil engineer Christine Kalmer has taken a sabbatical since the beginning of July to focus on the women’s marathon. “I don’t have to train in the dark anymore,” she said with a smile.

Most of the sevens players invested much in getting to Brazil.

“It was probably the toughest day I’ve had in rugby, two weeks ago, when our team was named,” said Kyle Brown, the captain of the Blitzboks that won the 2014 Commonwealth Games gold.

“Ruhan Nel’s incredibly unlucky to have had the collarbone injury.

“He broke the collarbone in five places, he made a valiant effort in coming back. He was only four weeks into a six-week injury and he was trying to take contact already.

“Guys were throwing everything out there to be in the team.”

Player pointed out that his top available golfer, Jaco van Zyl, had made sacrifices for Rio.

“I really admire what Jaco has done to give up playing in the British Open and the PGA — two major championships — he’s sacrificed them to play for South Africa,” said Player, explaining Van Zyl was using the time off to train for the Games.

The men’s and women’s football teams jetted to Rio yesterday, with other codes to follow.