Athletics South Africa is still licking it wounds after a dismal showing at the recently concluded World Athletics Championships where the country failed to win a single medal.

While the performances in Budapest were not up to standard, it is fair to say that the standard has not been set very high in recent years. Team South Africa failed to medal at all in the last four major meets, dating back to the World Champs in Doha in 2019.

ATHLETICS SOUTH AFRICA

Those successive failures speak to an underlying issue within South African athletics that the athletes themselves have highlighted. Akani Simbine is perhaps the most high-profile of those and did not hold back in his criticism of the federation following disappointment in the final of the 4x100m relay where the baton was dropped on the second changeover. The sprint sensation accused ASA of not helping athletes and said the federation is “all talk”.

Speaking to Robert Marawa on #MSW, ASA athletes commission chairperson, Hendrick Mokganyetsi, acknowledged that there needed to be a rethink within the organisation.

We have noted what the concerns of the people and the athletes are. We need to go back to the drawing board and draft a way forward. After the relay performance, I had a meeting with Akani after his comments and we came up with positive outlooks. The pain of the medal drought will end, we accept the criticism that is coming our way and we are determined to make things right in the future. We need to have training camps and not allow them to get together only at a championship. This must be the case with all the relays and all the individual events as well.

Hendrick Mokganyetsi, ASA Athletes Commission Chairperson

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Mokganyetsi said that the federation does its best with the finances it receives and has called for more people to get involved in terms of sponsorship.

It’s not easy. When we say the basics, that speaks to funding for training camps and as a federation, we are struggling with sponsorship. We have dropped the ball in terms of funding. We are getting funding from Lotto and government as well as broadcasters. We are able to take teams to meetings but we need money for training camps and we need to bring the culture to the teams. The action plan is in place for Paris. We have a symposium at the end of September and we will have a plan in place that we will roll out for the Olympics.

Hendrick Mokganyetsi, ASA Athletes Commission Chairperson