Athletics SA denies holding back prizes

Athletics South Africa (ASA) has denied that it is withholding athletes’ prize money because it is in financial difficulty.

Spokesperson Chris Britz was responding on Friday to a claim by the Democratic Alliance (DA) that cash due to the winners of last month’s Cape Town Marathon was being held back.

Japie van der Linde, the party’s deputy spokesperson on sport, said earlier this week he had been told by a prize winner that ASA had said it would pay out only at the end of the year.

Standard practice, Van der Linde said, was to pay out within one week of the event.

Sponsors Nedbank had allegedly already released the funds to ASA, which meant ASA was holding on to these funds at the expense of the athletes.

“This slap in the face of our athletic champions is a disgrace, and a clear sign that ASA is in desperate need of sponsorship,” he said.

However, Britz said it was not true that ASA was holding back prizes any longer than normal.

“Athletes must allow a reasonable amount of time for prize money to be paid,” he said.

It was standard procedure to withhold payments until doping tests had been completed, which could take a month or more, depending on how busy the laboratories were.

“There is also no truth to the rumour that ASA in financial difficulties,” he said.

Nedbank announced last month that it was pulling the plug on its ASA sponsorship, a year earlier than scheduled.

The announcement followed controversy over ASA’s handling of hermaphrodite athlete Caster Semenya.

The marathon, run on September 27, had a total prize purse of R664 700.

The male open winner, George Mofokeng of the Nedbank Running Club Gauteng North, told Sapa he had not been told there would be any delay in payment.—Sapa