ASA: Conflict will not hit our athletes

Athletes will not be affected by the latest administrative conflict at Athletics South Africa (ASA), the national federation has insisted, after repeated clashes with one of its provincial members landed up in court last week, six months out from the Commonwealth Games.

“The athletes will not be sacrificed or disadvantaged,” ASA acting chief executive Richard Stander said yesterday.

“The federation is supposed to represent the athletes, and if the administrators fail to represent the athletes correctly, the administrators must be removed.”

KwaZulu-Natal Athletics (KZNA) could be placed under administration and heads could roll if its board was found to be disrupting the progress of the sport, Stander warned, after ASA launched a task team to investigate the provincial body.

A statement from KZNA president Sello Mokoena was apparently interrupted by members at the ASA council meeting in Kempton Park on Saturday.

The provincial body was accused of ignoring council decisions and making unreasonable challenges to financial statements. It was also alleged to have “intentionally attacked” the national federation in recent weeks, in written letters and on social media.

The “last straw”, said Stander, was the response from KZNA after ASA had refused to resolve a factional dispute, with part of the province apparently preparing to apply to be recognised as a separate ASA member.

Subsequently, KZNA had approached the high court to intervene, which Stander claimed was both unnecessary and in breach of the ASA constitution.

“The council has instructed a task team to call the KZNA board together, list all the points that have been raised and confront them on what is going on,” Stander said.

“If the board is found guilty, the council has the power to put KZNA under administration.”

The task team was expected to report back to the ASA board with recommendations before the end of the year.