If Adams can’t run, he will travel to the Olympics as a spectator, says McKenzie

Luxolo Adams will be invited to travel with a South African delegation to the Paris Olympics, according to sports minister Gayton McKenzie, though the 27-year-old sprinter has not been included in the national team.

Adams had initially been announced as part of the SA squad for the men’s 200m event at the quadrennial Games which officially gets under way in the French capital on Friday.

He was later removed, however, after failing to prove to Athletics South Africa (ASA) that he was in form due to poor recent performances, despite recovering from a hamstring injury that sidelined him from the first half of the 2024 season.

Adams was replaced in the 200m team by Wayde van Niekerk, who had initially been included in the 400m event, with the national federation attempting to boost the country’s medal hopes in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays.

Not staying behind

McKenzie said on social media on Sunday that he had requested for the number of officials being sent to the Olympics by the Department of Sport and Recreation to be kept to a minimum, in order to ensure Adams could travel to the Games.

“Leaving him behind will not happen on my watch. Luxolo plays a massive role off the field also, and he will be nearby if the need arises for him to be included,” McKenzie said in a thread on X.

This was little more than a gesture, however, and McKenzie admitted he had no jurisdiction to include Adams in the national team.

The speedster from the Eastern Cape will only be at the Olympics as a spectator and will not stay in the athletes’ village.

Legal battle

The national 200m champion was not a part of the final SA team recently accepted by World Athletics, and unless he wins a legal battle to have himself included in the squad, he won’t be able to compete at the Games.

It remains unclear whether Adams has lodged an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), though he said in a statement earlier this month that he intended to take legal action.

Should he win his case at CAS and ASA is forced to include him in the team, Van Niekerk will be dropped.

And with Van Niekerk having been selected only for the 200m, this would likely mean the 400m world record holder would not be able to compete in any events in Paris, including the relays.