The President of Athletics South Africa recently completed his first year in office, making it a good time to put some questions to him regarding the first 12 months of his presidency, along with personal stuff, of course.
Q: Having now been in office for a year, as President, what’s your assessment of the state of the sport in South Africa?
A: There’s been significant success in hyping athletes to perform. Our track and field season has been an overwhelming success as we continue to offer our athletes quality competition without them having to leave their own country. The majority of the athletes who were selected for the recent CAA African Senior Athletics Championships in Mauritius and those going to Oregon, USA for the World Championships, qualified in South Africa. Our ASA Athletics Grand Prix Series, which was also the World Athletics Continental Tour Challenger, was also opened to international athletes, with some of them world-class. We have also successfully launched a broadcast partnership with SuperSport. It is also good to see better feedback from athletes with regards how they are projected by ASA on our social media platforms. About 80% of our juniors who have qualified for the WA under-20 Champs in Cali, did so through ASA competitions. On top of that, some of the athletes from African countries qualified through ASA events.
Q: What are you most proud of achieving in the past year and what areas, in your opinion, still need some work, as it relates to athletics in SA?
A: We hit the ground running and had just a few weeks to ensure that we sent a fully-fledged team to the Olympic Games in Tokyo. We successfully managed a tight fixture track and field programme starting in January with the ASA Race Walking Championships and several road running championships. Though successful, we definitely need to do better in how we position our ASA Relays and Combined Events Championships on the calendar next year, to allow for our top athletes to be available, especially in the year where we have the African Champs, Olympic Games, World Champs (Senior and Youth) and Commonwealth Games.
Q: How would you describe your job?
A: It’s athletics, athletics and more athletics!
Q: What does an average day look like for you?
A: I have a paid job that must be attended to and that puts bread on the table, because I’m not paid to be President of Athletics SA. But I spend many hours almost every day at Athletics House, mainly in meetings.
Q: What’s your assessment of the broadcast deal with SuperSport and what impact has that had on SA athletics this year?
A: It has had a great impact with regards how we project our organisation to our own public and to the world. They also came at the right time when tight government restrictions meant people could not attend our competitions, and even when they were eased, there were still limitations. For the first time in years, we have well-packaged live coverage on TV, or through streaming, of our primary and high schools, to our ASA Youth and Junior, including sub-youth, Championships, national senior champs and Grand Prix Series. All our events are covered live, including our major road races.
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Q: Can you expand on your appointment to the World Athletics World Implementation Working Group recently, and what it will entail?
A: I’m part of a committee that carries quite a serious mandate. We deal directly with the assessment and review of athletics plans and competitions around the world.
Q: What impact do you believe Covid-19 has had on athletics, both here in SA and abroad?
A: It has destroyed livelihoods and killed many of our stakeholders, including athletes, coaches, technical officials, volunteers and administrators. We’ve also lost sponsors, as companies re-prioritised their budgets to meet the challenges this pandemic came with. On the other side of things, the pandemic reminded us of the importance of discipline in basic health practices. It has also forced us in athletics worldwide to be more innovative, particularly with regards the use of technology.
Q: Have there been any positive spin-offs, such as a greater uptake in road running or more people exercising, generally, for example?
A: Indeed! Covid-19 somehow seemed to spur on people to worry more about their lack of health practices and take to running and exercise to boost their immune system. It seems people are generally afraid to die and many were even seen defying the national restrictions so that they could go for a jog or run. Also, you saw how people reacted when the Comrades and Two Oceans announced the postponements of their races. We also saw a rise in participation in the innovation that is ‘virtual running’.
Q: Away from athletics, do you have other sports interests, such as a favourite team, sport, player?
A: Yes, I’m a Kaizer Chiefs supporter. I hardly miss their games played in Johannesburg.
Q: Away from sport, do you have other interests and hobbies, and how do you unwind?
A: I’m a people’s person. I spend a lot of time with anyone anywhere and with friends doing this and that. I also try and give my best time to my family whenever I find that small time away from sport.
