Female athletes get crumbs

SOUTH Africa’s women in sport and sportswomen have for decades been given the crumbs of sport administration, funding and sponsorship by those who control the sport industry and all its mechanics of operation. South Africa’s sportswomen have complained and spoken out against gender inequalities and discrimination. However, their voices are too few and too soft.

Who are the women in sport relying on to take them out of bondage? Surely not Minister of Sport Fikile Mbalula or the male-dominated South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc).

So, when are the sportswomen going to lead their “women in sport against gender inequalities and discrimination” in resistance and protests?

The spectacular and legitimate student protests should be motivation and inspiration for the millions of women who are involved in sport either as spectators or participants.

Sportswomen all over the world are increasing their voice against gender inequality. They are speaking out against the crumbs dished out to sportswomen, while men in sport receive huge sponsorships, salaries and payouts.

Over the past two months, at last three South African women’s sports teams have qualified for the Rio Olympics. They are the national women’s rugby sevens team, women’s football team (Banyana Banyana) and the women’s hockey team. It has not been an easy road to Olympic qualification for these women’s teams.

It’s disgusting that some of the national players in hockey had to personally pay their international travelling costs to represent their country. Some professional athletes, like javelin thrower Sunette Viljoen complain about the inadequate money received from Sascoc’s Operation Excel- lence. Women’s sports like softball don’t have sponsorship.

It’s a litany of gender biases and discrimination. Yes, some funding and sponsorship allocation is made available to develop and assist women in sport. But the money and assistance is too little.

The time is ripe for sportswomen to protest, to engage in protest action that will challenge government sports departments and corporates for their neglect of sportswomen’s development from grass roots to international levels of sport participation.

Sportswomen must use their women’s power and resist male hegemony of sport in SA. They must not accept a few handouts here and there and go quietly when some money is received.

They must be conscious of their social positioning in sport, about who is control- ling them and their participation. Also important is to watch out for women who have attained leadership positions but go quietly when they get international trips and meet attendance bonuses.

Women’s cabals in sport must be smashed! We must ask why some women are allowed to hold positions for 10 years and longer, yet challenge male power in sport so little.

Oppressed black women have shown us the power of resistance. The legacies are there to inspire protest when we know a society is discriminating against women.

Women have power. Women must also have a critical conscience which won’t allow their sisters to be oppressed, controlled and discriminated against by men and some elite women.

Resistance and protest action are what’s needed to catapult sportswomen into action against a male controlled and oppressive sports system.

Women must also have a critical

conscience

Sea Point, Cape Town