Willie Mtolo and Zithulele Sinqe , two of SA ’ s best long distance athletes in the 80s
This loss of an exercise culture , and teaching of the basic skills of running , jumping , throwing , catching , kicking , hitting and agility , means that when team sports are commenced , kids tend to be selected on size , weight , height and speed , rather than skills and ability . This is typical at pre-puberty ages , because what you get at nine or 11 years can be radically different to what is seen after 16 years . Early-maturing kids may thus dominate school teams , while the slower-maturing youth frequently come to the fore at senior level . This has considerable psychological challenges for those who gain star status in primary school or high school , but are overshadowed later at secondary school or after school . was the restrictions on participation , both at home and abroad , entirely due to politics in South Africa .
It was my strong belief that on its return to international sport , South Africa could dominate the world performances in all middle , long and ultra-distances . This belief was stated in a 1980 ’ s article I wrote for UK ’ s Athletics Weekly , with the title Black Man ’ s Burden , which the SA state authorities of the time considered sufficiently revolutionary to open a security file on me !
Start with the Foundations
Since unification , most attempts and directives at ministerial level seem to have tried to correct the inequality issues in sport at adult level , while not addressing or providing solutions at the foundation level , with the children and youth . The thinking appears to have been that by enforcing a windowdressed look at senior and international level , it would in some way filter down to change the views and social interaction throughout the nation .
It needs acknowledging that South Africa ’ s political heritage results in unique challenges and dynamics , but it would be reasonable to think that 28 years after re-admittance to the international sporting arena , the question of quotas and merit selection would have been solved . Yet we continue to struggle with both of these issues , in addition to the apparent loss of talent , when one compares the many world-leading performances achieved during SA ’ s international sporting isolation .
Some believe that we ‘ lost this race ’ in 1994 . The reduction in performance , increase in obesity as well as loss of sporting skills may well be tracked back to the dropping of Physical Education ( PE ) as specialist subject in schools , and primary schools in particular , around 1994 . Human Movement , as a section of Lifestyle Skills , was re-introduced to the syllabus in 2013 , but the actual uptake is determined by school economics and facilities , and teacher motivation and resources .
The restricted return to PE is exacerbated by the fact that many teachers are not trained in Physical Education , nor motivated to take post-school sport . Indeed , many in education appear to have aligned with society ’ s norms of the obesity and lethargy that typify the digital and technological age .
Compounding the Problem
So , whilst we could have hoped that 1994 ’ s democracy would have opened our sports opportunities , the political and even socio-economic changes have apparently worked against the health of our nation . Meanwhile , parental protection perpetuates these challenges . It ’ s natural for every parent to want better and easier circumstances for their children , but ironically , over time , it has seen kids , who previously would have had to run , jog or walk to and from school five days a week , now being dropped off as close to the classroom door as possible .
Physical activity has also diminished in urban areas , where levels of child security have also changed , not only reducing the walks to school , but also the ad-hoc street play of soccer , cricket and rugby , as well as tree climbing , etc . The very exercise and activities that created the base of endurance , stamina , strength and speed play in past heroes , have ( understandably ) been protectively removed by caring parents .
The bottom line is that the foundation of sporting skills has mostly been lost for the past 25 years . And that ’ s actually a double whammy , because the minimal exercise results in reduced calorie-burn , which when augmented by the swing to fast food , provides the key components for obesity and diabetes .
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