CANOEING South Africa celebrates the role of female athletes, administrators and supporters as the federation’s president, Kim Pople, urged women to continue to build on the vital roles they play within the sport.
“It is an absolute honour to stand among the women in our sport,” said Pople. “We celebrate women standing on podiums, representing South Africa at international level, and excelling at provincial level and club level.”
She highlighted a group that includes South Africa’s only Olympic canoeing medallist, Bridgitte Hartley and surfski world champions, Hayley Nixon, currently a finalist in the G Sport Awards Athlete of the Year category, and Michéle Eray.
Pople added that many women also played a significant role off the water as the sport placed a very heavy reliance on seconding and race support.
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“The women who are seconding paddlers, driving vehicles and getting nutrition and fluids to athletes, often in difficult circumstances, at the same time looking after family members, these are some of the unsung heroes of our sport,” said Pople.
Alongside Pople, the CSA Board includes a number of influential women who play critical parts in the administration of the sport, particularly during the demanding times created by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Janet Simpkins and Hayley Nixon do a fantastic job on the CSA Board. Simpkins drives our development programme with such energy and enthusiasm and is also a major roleplayer in our environmental efforts to keep our waterways clean. She has been a major driving force behind our Canoeing4Covid food relief programme as well as our Guardian programme aimed at protecting the vulnerable in our sport.
“Hayley has been a long-standing advocate for the role of women in sport and also serves on the International Canoe Federation Athletes Commission,” she said.
“We celebrate the role our women play in all aspects of canoeing during the whole month of August as Women’s Month and at the same time we pay tribute to the men that support these women,” Pople stressed.
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At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations.
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