SA Olympic boxing hopes burn as administrators fiddle

● SA’s Olympic boxing hopefuls have probably been condemned to another Games in the wilderness because their inept administration failed to secure funding to get them to the African qualifying tournament.

Sport and Recreation SA’s (SRSA) acting director-general Sumayya Khan said government would have assisted, even though the embattled SA National Boxing Organisation (Sanabo) was not financially compliant.

“The department learnt of the qualifiers ... after the registration date had closed,” she wrote in a statement. “The department would have devised means to ensure that athletes are not compromised due to the shortcomings/failures of administrators.”

Sanabo had needed R250,000 to enter six fighters by February 5, acting SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) CEO Ravi Govender said.

A total of 39 nations competed at the qualifier in Dakar, Senegal, that ended last night. No fewer than eight boxers from Southern Africa won spots at the Tokyo showpiece later this year, specifically Zambia, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana and Mauritius. Even Swaziland, Lesotho and Zimbabwe were there.

SA boxers will get a last chance at the world qualifying tournament in Paris in May, but that competition has historically proven too difficult.

In 2016 seven SA boxers, among them 2012 Olympian Ayabonga Sonjica, failed to make the grade at the world qualifier.

Dakar was SA’s best bet.

Yet from the moment national federations overturned Sascoc’s tough selection criteria in late November to allow qualification through Africa, Sanabo president Andile Mofu has appeared uninterested.

He missed that historic meeting because he was flying to England as part of professional world champion Zolani Tete’s entourage ahead of a title defence.

That raised eyebrows in Sanabo circles.

Ahead of Rio 2016 Mofu signed Sascoc’s qualifying agreement, which didn’t recognise African qualifiers, without the approval from his body, according to former Sanabo vice-president Lwandiso Kwababana.

That meant that SA’s two African boxing qualifiers stayed at home.

Acting Sascoc president Barry Hendricks said Sanabo had been embroiled in disputes for more than a year, not producing audited financial statements and flouting its constitution. He is pushing Sanabo to hold an election for a new board later this month.

Questions have also been asked about the R10m given to Sanabo by SRSA in 2016 to unearth fresh talent. The body staged one competition, which operated at standards far lower than initially envisaged, with boxers staying in school hostels instead of decent accommodation, two sources said.

Khan confirmed the R10m was spent. Mofu, whose presidency has delivered just one Commonwealth Games medal, did not respond to requests for comment.