Without equipment and shoes, young athletes don’t have a fair chance

A coach at one of Pretoria’s top athletics schools was seen carrying a large bag with him at a track and field meeting last season.

And his answer when asked what was in the bag was a little heartbreaking. It held used pairs of shoes.

Despite the school producing some of South Africa’s top junior athletes in recent years, most of the children didn’t have their own shoes. Before a race, they would dig into the bag and hope there was a pair available in their size. After their race, they would drop them back in the bag for their teammates to use.

The problem is not that athletes can’t compete without shoes. Many have, since the days of Zola Budd, and many have succeeded.

But they can’t be competitive in sprint races, hurdles contests, the long jump, or any other discipline which requires the athlete to have traction on the track.

Real disadvantage

Athletes without specialist shoes in most events other than distance running and walking are at a disadvantage, and it’s not unusual to see teenagers at school meetings across South Africa who are sprinting and jumping without shoes, or temporarily borrowing some where and when they can.

And the problem extends far beyond a shortage of shoes, with implements and equipment also in short supply in some areas.

At the Eastern Cape High Schools Athletics Championships last week, most of the disciplines were well contested, but the sprint hurdles produced noticeably depleted fields.

In order to race in a technical event like the 100m dash over the barriers, athletes need hurdles to practice with, and if they don’t have the equipment, they will gravitate to other disciplines or other sports.

No matter how talented athletes are, if they don’t have basic equipment, they will never be on the same level as their peers.

In terms of development, something’s really got to be done, and in rural areas and townships, somebody’s got to give the talented youth a chance.

Grassroots investment

A lot of corporate brands make a profit from athletics, using the sport to promote their products, and there are federations and government bodies across various tiers that not only receive funding but have partners who can offer solutions.

South African athletics is in a bit of a slump at elite level, with less than a handful of senior track and field athletes currently competing in the top global tier, but the nation would have a far larger pool of talent if the playing field was levelled with more grassroots investment.

Some hurdles delivered to schools would cost money for any company or federation willing to supply them, but the benefits gained by the youth would be significant.

Schools could also do with some starting blocks. Maybe some javelins and high jump mats? At the very least, someone’s got to get the kids some shoes.