OPINION: Luxolo Adams has not proved his fitness, but he deserves better

Some controversy has emerged around Olympic team selection, which might well land up in court, but the entire issue could have been avoided with a little patience.

It was revealed this week that Wayde van Niekerk had been selected for the 200m event at the Olympic Games and would not compete over the 400m distance in Paris next month.

We’ve already gone into detail about how this could be the best decision for everyone, as it strengthens the national relay teams and boosts their medal chances.

In order to open the door for Van Niekerk in the 200m, however, it looks like Luxolo Adams and Sinesipho Dambile will miss out on selection.

There’s nothing really wrong with this decision, but the way it’s been handled is a little unfair.

Van Niekerk in form

Adams ran a faster qualifying time than Van Niekerk and Dambile has a higher ranking, but the 400m world record holder has shown better form this year over the 200m distance. He’s also got a lot more experience than Adams or Dambile.

The problem is that Adams had already been included in the national team, and pulling him from the squad after he was selected is in poor taste.

With five athletes who have qualified in the 200m event, Athletics South Africa can select any three of them.

It seems they have gone with in-form sprinters Shaun Maswanganyi and Benji Richardson, as well as Van Niekerk. And this is not a shock.

Dambile is only slightly ahead of Van Niekerk in the world rankings, and Van Niekerk finished ahead of him at the national championships in April. He also has a quicker season’s best.

Injury troubles

Adams had some injury troubles this year, and while he claims to have shaken that off, he has run only once in the 2024 campaign, clocking a pedestrian time of 21.50 in Italy last week. Based on this performance, he simply isn’t ready and Van Niekerk is a far better option.

But Adams was one of the first athletes to be included in the SA team for the Games. And this was entirely unnecessary, as the announcement was made long before the qualifying window closed and there was always a chance that other athletes could still qualify.

If Sascoc (and ASA) had just waited until the window closed before announcing athletes in the team, this wouldn’t even be an issue.

The decision to select Van Niekerk in the 200m is the correct one, and not picking Adams makes sense. But even if he doesn’t have much of a case to fight in court (if he chooses to open one) Adams has the right to be upset.

To be selected for the Olympics and then have your dream snatched away must be heartbreaking, and he deserved better treatment.