OUT OF THE BOX out of the box by NORRIE WILLIAMSON
New Perspective for a Changed World
Worldwide , 2020 has seen many challenges , with COVID-19 the predominant concern until the killing of George Floyd and others in the USA , which initiated the rise to prominence of the Black Lives Matter ( BLM ) campaign . Heightened concern over the equality of life quickly spread across the world , and this links directly into the long-standing transformation concerns in South Africa .
As part of this , SA sport has been juggling with transformation issues for just under three decades , and yet debates around quotas , merit selection , development programmes , and coaching and managerial appointments continue to be the main focus of every Minister of Sport since the return to international competition in 1992 .
There have been eight ministers of sport in the intervening 28 years , and yet we have seen little real progress , and thanks to the BLM and stamp out racism campaigns , this past month the question of transformation in sport once again took centre stage , as did the concern over the general fall in standards on the playing fields . Transformation in sport , versus the rest of the country , have almost been dealt with as two different issues , and yet it is patently clear that they are inexorably interlinked .
Sport has Immense Power
Nelson Mandela stated , “ No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin , or his background , or his religion . People must learn to hate , and if they can learn to hate , they can be taught to love , for love comes more naturally to the human heart than it ’ s opposite .” Clearly the place to begin the transformation of social integration , respect and equality then is the earliest age of interaction : Preschool and Grade R .
Another great quote from Madiba is : “ Sport has the power to change the world . It has the power to inspire . It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does . It speaks to youth in a language they understand . Sport can create hope where once there was only despair . It is more powerful than government in breaking down racial barriers .”
It is my belief that in those two quotes , we have wise guidance as to how not only to address the long-term transformation in sport , but also assist in building a foundation of mutual respect amongst the many ethnic , cultural , social and religious diversities of our rainbow nation . Importantly , using and inculcating a foundation of sport and exercise would also positively impact on the health of the nation , and would reduce virtually every co-morbidity that has been identified as a major risk factor in the current COVID-19 pandemic , including obesity , hypertension , diabetes , and a general lack of health .
Of course , no-one is saying this is an easy option , as the integration of each sport is also related to the various cultural backgrounds of the participants . The choice of a sport also depends on facilities and socioeconomics of the community . Thus millions of South Africans are denied the opportunity to develop their talent in a sport , simply due to not having access to that sport , either because of lack of facilities , travel , resources and / or finances .
Rich Vein of Talent
Nevertheless , it is my contention that South Africa has the latent talent for all sports , but it could be argued that we have been attempting to solve our socio and sporting challenges by scratching at the symptoms and not the root causes of the obstacles to outcomes we desire .
In athletic terms , the level of talent was evident well before the unification of sport . The likes of Johan Fourie and Deon Brummer were knocking out worldclass mile performances , while Xolile Yawa , Matthews Temane , Matthews Motshwarateu , Ewald Bonzet , Zola Budd , Mark Plaatjies , Johnny Halberstadt , Thulani Sibisi , Willie Mtolo , Zithulele Sinqe and many others were running world-leading middle distance and marathon times . We also had Bruce Fordyce garnering both the 50-mile and 100km World Records . Meanwhile , Okkert Brits was perhaps the leading field athlete of the era , taking pole vaulting to heights that would win competitions today .
This is actually just the tip of a massive ‘ iceberg ’ of talent , as those were just the stand-out athletes who could , or chose to , compete in so-called establishment athletics . There were thousands more who either couldn ’ t participate , or chose not to , for fear of their safety , or that of their families . In other words , there was no shortage of talent , but the challenge
Images : Action Photo SA , Eastern Province Herald & Pexels
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ISSUE 133 SEPTEMBER 2020 / www . modernathlete . co . za