Chaotic schools’ sports a pattern

GOVERNMENT-organised school sporting events in the Eastern Cape have a history of chaos emanating from a combination of budget constraints and poor planning.

Earlier this year, top junior athletes were forced to spend the night at a Port Elizabeth petrol station due to bungled travel and accommodation arrangements.

They stepped off a bus in Germiston and headed straight to the track to compete without proper sleep. The athletes, from five districts, also did not receive tracksuits and some travelled to the SA Youth and Junior Championships without signing indemnity forms.

They were forced to spend hours at a petrol station in Sidwell and then wait for transport to the Germiston championships.

The bungle is similar to the chaos a year ago at the Eastern Cape Schools’ Athletics Championships which saw furious officials walking out amid allegations of incompetence.

On that occasion the coaches and parents of pupils taking part in the East London event accused officials of being “more interested in eating than in doing their job”.

The stand-off saw former provincial running ace Karel Gerber, the appointed track events coordinator, argue in vain with organisers over the botched races. Another EP Schools’ trials event in Cradock last year was also described by parents and coaches as chaotic.