They’re sabotaging South African sport
Sascoc appears to be a gravy train for many people who should be doing what they do for the good of sport.
Gideon Sam. Picture: Wessel Oosthuizen/Gallo Images
Sport in this country is in a bad way.
We are not talking about whether or not the Australian cricketers will, once again, beat us in a Test series on home soil. Nor are we talking about the allegedly unruly Kagiso Rabada. Nor even are we thinking about whether our footballers will ever relive the Africa Cup of Nations glory days of 1996.
We are talking about the fact that a young, talented gymnast, ranked third in the Commonwealth, had to take the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) to court to be sent to the Commonwealth Games in Australia next month.
And then we had the unedifying spectacle of Sascoc president Gideon Sam testifying before a ministerial inquiry into the organisation – and justifying his R6 000-a-day “petty cash” allowance when travelling overseas.
Sascoc appears to be a gravy train for many of those involved with it – people who should be doing what they do for the good of sport.
Because of the waste of money, it is our athletes who are suffering because they don’t get support. This country has abundant sporting talent – which, like Rabada, can shine when given the right nurturing.
Sascoc has shown plainly that it cannot do that.
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