Athletics federations ‘must get houses in order for Olympics’

SOUTH African Sport Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) president Gideon Sam has lambasted federations, saying it is time to get their houses in order rather than spending big money in court.

“We are relentlessly going to call for reports to monitor what goes on in our federations, starting now,” said Sam at the Sascoc general meeting at the weekend.

He said federations must prioritise the success of athletes, adding that for SA to do well at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, solid assistant programmes must be in place to help young men and women in their quest to win medals. “All these court cases are symptomatic of a confederation that is at war with itself,” Sam said. “Our focus as Sascoc is gold. If that happens (going to court), we then lose focus, and what we believe in, the athletes at the centre, becomes a misnomer.”

Sam said there were consultations with all the nine sports MECs as part of preparations for the Olympics, adding that the feedback was great and encouraging. “They have pledged to support us. We will have a meeting with all the municipalities in Bloemfontein in June; we want a buy-in from them too for SA to do well in Brazil in 2016.”

Sam also said Sascoc was working with the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to assist in preparations for the Olympics. “SANDF have agreed to assist in helping boxing, judo and many others to prepare for the Olympics. We appreciate their support.” Sam also took a swipe at Swimming SA: “When you run to the media to plead poverty, nobody sees the point. Remember, you have to compete, there are priorities that you have to compete with.”