Selfies and the jol mark the ‘holidaymakers’

While the athletes have been ripping their bodies to pieces to try and represent our country with pride at the IAAF World Championships this week, some members of team management have been enjoying a scenic holiday through the streets of England’s capital city.

London, of course, is one of the world’s most popular holiday destinations for good reason. There’s a heck of a lot to see.

But most of the individuals who were accredited for these championships are not here to play. They’re here to work.

After a week of high-intensity track and field competition, most of us haven’t had a chance to see much of anything.

Big Ben is here, of course, though some members of team management and most media representatives haven’t seen it.

The Tower of London is still standing strong, I’m sure, though I can’t confirm that because it’s not a landmark situated between my hotel and the stadium.

There’s a palace here too, slapbang in the middle of a bustling city, but it’s glistening structures are not visible from my room.

What I can confirm is that there’s a train from Cyprus station to Canning Town which connects to Stratford where the athletics competition is taking place.

You can also catch the underground tube to Tower Bridge where the national team is staying, and when you climb aboard, there’s a robotic women’s voice that kindly warns you to “mind the gap”.

And there’s a pleasant little pub in Covent Garden where they make great food to wash down with tasty craft beer, if you have a couple of hours to spare.

That, this week, has been the extent of my sightseeing.

Sounding bitter, am I? Well, I’m not. Not at all.

I came here for one thing, and one thing only: to watch South Africa’s remarkable crop of global stars teaching the rest of the world how to run and jump.

The athletes have been awesome and the SA media contingent have had a great time in covering their exploits.

There are also members of team management who have worked extremely hard. You can tell who they are because they look so worn out it’s as if they collided headfirst into Wayde van Niekerk down the home straight of the 400m final.

There are, however, members of team management who clearly did not come here to make a contribution to the performances. They came here for a jol, and boy, have they had a good time!

Those same people will take credit for the team’s record medal haul, and they will use it to try and defend the ridiculous decisions that were made in selecting the squad.

The members of team management who have taken selfies with athletes for their Facebook pages have probably done the least.

Those who have made a concerted effort to get the athletes ready, ensure they are looked after and are at the call room on time will not have selfies to show for it because there’s no time for such nonsense when there’s work to do.

Some members of the media have been equally disgraceful in showing a complete lack of respect for our profession by asking athletes for a quick snap with them so they can show their friends and Twitter followers how awesome they are.

Taking a selfie with an athlete is not an achievement. It’s ridiculous (unless, of course, you are a fan who paid for a ticket) and everyone who has a team management or media accreditation tag hanging around their neck should be ashamed if they have for even one moment tried to piggyback on the limelight earned by SA’s incredible athletes.

London has plenty of sights (I know because I have been fortunate to come here before on holiday) and if you want to plan a holiday of your own, have a look at the Facebook pages of some members of team management.

If you want to know what it’s like to work at the World Championships, have a look at mine.