OPINION PIECE
It ’ s an Election Year
With the announcement of the next ASA elections scheduled in May , we once again need to have a discussion about due process , transparency , constitutional matters and more , because the current system is not working properly . Importantly , this is not a lawyer ’ s interpretation , this is just a layman ’ s take on things , as seen from the perspective of a passionate athlete who has competed and officiated in our sport for four decades .
1 Passion vs Apathy and Lethargy
Many people claim a passion for running
and athletics , but in many cases their ‘ strong emotion ’ is for the feeling of exuberance experienced by putting one foot ahead of the other and driving back into the ground to fly forwards . Their passion is therefore not for the sport in itself , but for the action , movement and feeling of running .
We have a nation of around 100,000 licensed runners under the auspices of Athletics South Africa ( ASA ), the federation that governs the sport nationally , overseeing 17 provincial bodies and around 2000 clubs . These figures are rarely confirmed , but an average of 50 runners per club seems reasonable , as does the number of 1300 races per year . And when runners talk about passion , the majority are concerned with only the two bookend numbers : 100,000 licensed runners , and 1300 races .
As long as the runners can buy their license numbers to compete in their share of the 1300 races , their passion is satisfied . They have long lost ( or never had ) any concern and even interest in who or how the sport is governed , or what level of administration is provided . As long as the clubs provide the licenses and races , what goes on at provincial and national administration appears to be tolerated , if not totally ignored .
The general apathy and lethargy towards sports administration in South Africa now abounds in athletics . On one side are clubs and their runners , while on the other are provincial and national leadership … and interaction between the two sides is at best minimal , if not ruptured . While this is to the detriment of growth and success in the sport , it is of great benefit to those in the upper hierarchal structure , whose continued success ( and power ) may actually depend on the continued apathy of clubs and their members .
As with opposition politics , the running community has instead become adept at complaining and identifying failure , but all too often fails to provide alternative proposals , or take action to correct erroneous or poor decisions , to the point that the basic understanding of the sport ’ s structure and sustainability has been lost . That is why the connection between runners and their clubs to provincial and national governance requires reestablishment … but there is little appetite from either side , albeit for totally opposing reasons .
Images : Action Photo SA , Pixels & courtesy ASA
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ISSUE 138 FEBRUARY 2021 / www . modernathlete . co . za