Esona Sekeleni
Ten-year-old swimmer and runner Esona Sekeleni is four months away from representing South Africa at the World Biathle Championships from 26 to 31 October in Machico, Portugal.
The only thing standing in her way is the nearly R150 000 she needs to cover her expenses for the trip.
Esona is a biathle athlete, in which a single race involves a run, swim and another run. She is the only female participant from the Eastern Cape in her age group. A total of 16 athletes in older age groups from the province have been selected.
Esona’s mother, Sandisiwe Sekeleni, has a donor for her and her daughter’s plane tickets and has saved some money for daily expenses in Portugal but it is not nearly enough. Costs such as registration, equipment, transport, accommodation and travel visas still need to be covered.
Hopeful of getting support, Sekeleni sent a letter to the head of Eastern Cape department of sport, recreation, arts and culture, Fezeka Nkomonye, at the beginning of July.
She writes: “I would like to request your assistance from the department because I will not be able to cover all costs. As a proud single parent I cannot crush and destroy the dream of [a] young black child who is rising to greater heights by lifting the Eastern Cape and South African flag high.”
Provincial office spokesperson Busisiwe Jemsana-Mantashe said, “Unfortunately, as a department we do not fund international trips,” adding that these trips were the responsibility of the national government and the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee.
She said the provincial department “at times” intervened when an athlete needed funding but noted that 14 athletes are going to the same competition “and we’ve received a number of requests and unfortunately we do not have the money to foot the bill”.
She said the request had been referred to the department at the national level. But the national sports department was unaware of Sekeleni’s request.
Masechaba Khumalo, the spokesperson for Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa, said, “The department provides funding to federations based on their business plans. We do not fund individuals. Note that our resources are limited and will never be sufficient for all athletes from the approximately 60 federations we support.
“Besides this annual allocation, we have an athlete support programme [where] federations identify talented athletes that are supported through our scientific support unit.”
Esona has now turned to Twitter for help, tagging Mthethwa and Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula. Khumalo said Mthethwa had not responded to the post because “Twitter is not an application funding platform”. Mbalula did respond, asking Esona to send him a direct message.
Sekeleni is selling raffle tickets for a barbeque stand and an online crowdfunding initiative has raised R18 000.
Denzel van Heerden, who voluntarily acts as Esona’s fitness coach, believes many talented athletes fall through the cracks because of financial constraints.
A biokineticist, Van Heerden works with teams such as the Springbok Sevens and Currie Cup players, as well as boxing champions.
He recalled a study in 2000 that found that Australia needed to invest A$1-million in each athlete to one day produce one gold medal at the Olympics. “This gives you the extent to which you have to invest in an athlete. Identifying talent is the easy part.
“But how you manage that talent so that one day she becomes a national asset, is where the problem lies. Because that requires resources in terms of medical, nutritional, supplementation costs, and in terms of transport to and from training and to competitions. It [money] plays a vital role, especially for the previously disadvantaged athletes.”
Van Heerden said the sports department was trying to help, but was restrained by limited resources, adding: “From my experience I think they are assisting in the bigger codes, maybe in rugby, cricket and football. But the smaller codes like biathlon, I don’t think they are nearly close to getting the support that they need.”
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