Broke and bickering: the state of SA sports bodies, says Sascoc boss

Local sports federations are plagued by cash shortages and infighting, SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) president Barry Hendricks said on Saturday.

He said Sascoc — which had already received R7m of a four-year R66m sponsorship deal that is scheduled to be formally announced on May 11 — was being increasingly asked for assistance by sports bodies.

“We've noticed a trend developing that because of the state of the economy and because of lack of funding, federations are becoming more and more desperate around servicing themselves and their athletes,” Hendricks told the Sascoc council at the umbrella body’s headquarters in Johannesburg.

“But we cannot be appearing to be a bank, no matter how much we want to help you. And we will help you under the condition that the money is returned, so that we can make sure that our own budget and our finance processes remain secure and above board.

“So I do feel for you and if we are not able to assist you, please don't feel as if we don't want to. It's merely that we are following our own strict financial policies and conditions so that we remain a proper organisation.”

Hendricks said Sascoc had assisted the SA National Boxing Organisation (Sanabo) and Taekwondo, which had both paid back the money.

He said the R66m sponsorship — which is coming from the first of Sascoc’s four top-tier sponsors — would be aimed at supporting athletes through its Operation Excellence programme.

“There are three others [top-tier sponsors] to go so that we can work with around R260m over four years to service you as well as our athletes.”

Operation Excellence recipients would be put into three categories from medal prospects to development, Hendricks told journalists later.

And he suggested that more was coming. “And they [the new sponsor] intend as promised to bring in the other sponsors to assist us as well and that will only benefit you as sport federations because that's where the money’s going to go.

Hendricks noted further the high number of quarrels within sport.

“Member disputes are still one of the major issues,” he said in his address.

“This should not be happening. We want vibrant, well-structured, well-run federations. And yet, every week these issues cross my table about disputes, problems in sport.

“You don't get on with this one, you don't get on with that one.”

He pointed out that one of the meeting agenda items was membership matters.

“I want you to take note of a very serious environment that we are facing with our many, many federations. And that should not be the case.

“Sascoc has managed to turn itself around. And the only way you can do that is by good leadership. By having a good board, a good competent board, and good staff, and good executive members.”

He also told members that safeguarding remained “a huge concern for us”, but the federations needed to play their part.

“Sascoc is the umbrella body, we can’t police. You must police what’s going on in your own federations and you must assist us in that regard.”

He pointed out that an athlete who had been in the mix for the Tokyo Olympics had recently been convicted of a serious crime.

He was referring to walker Lebogang Shange, who was sentenced to prison for 10 years for a 2019 rape earlier this month. Shange didn’t go to the Games because of a doping ban.

Hendricks said Sascoc had hit a snag with registering the name Sport SA, the intended snappier abbreviation for Sascoc, which had been used previously

“We’re working on it,” he said.

Hendricks also spoke about the seven pillars of Sascoc’s new strategic plan which included high performance, transformation and development and good governance.

Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.