ON Tuesday Wilf Paish – the highly respected British athletics coach who was brought to South Africa to prepare South Africa’s athletes for the Olympic Games in Atlanta – returned home two months before his contract was due to expire
Paish had tendered his resignation just days before the Olympic team departed for Atlanta in protest at the way the sport’s governing body Athletics South Africa (ASA) reneged on agreements relating to the selection of the Olympic team and the general way in which the sport is administered with no regard for the athletes that ASA is supposed to serve
Before his departure Paish gave his view of the way athletics is administered in South Africa.
AS far as sport is concerned, South Africa is a very proud nation. Its expectation levels are very high, and in sports such as cricket and rugby their achievement levels match their aspirations. Hence, it is extremely sad for me to recognise that track and field athletics, which is the “centrepiece” of any Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games, appears to be in such disarray.
Hardly a week passes when we do not read in the press or hear over the radio of more administrative bungling within the sport. Natal is attempting a breakaway, Boland had to take Athletics South Africa to court, there are several pending court cases, and rumours of others – all involving the administrators of the association.
In my discussions with many of the athletes, coaches and officials, from all “avenues” within the sport, I have only heard one woman say any kind things about the administration. In the light of all of this one must believe that there is probably something wrong within the sport. No matter what nation, which sport, a situation such as one must believe to exist, cannot be allowed to prevail for any length of time, since it is certain to encourage anarchy.
As the Olympic team coach I have been deeply involved in all aspects of track and field athletics. I have tried to convince myself, mainly for the well-being of the sport I love, that it is all part of a changing nation with diverse cultural differences, which time alone will correct. However, I am certain that the possibility of a change taking place is remote since the basic philosophy of the sport is wrong. Like all other sports, athletics has only one commodity: athletes.
When the sport is not “athlete-centred” then the sport is destined to fail. I know that administrators have to seek a fine balance between the needs of the elite athletes and the need to organise a sport for the masses. It is a balance which all other elite sporting nations in the world have achieved by making the correct compromises, and one which other major sports within South Africa have also done so successfully.
As an informed outsider, I am convinced that there is no long-term strategy for the sport. It appears to lack an informed “helmsman” who could at least steer a central course. I have not met anyone within the structure of the sport with whom I would be happy to know that the sport has an informed diplomat/ambassador; a person who can discuss the sport in terms of anything other than political motives; one who could be placed on any platform in the world and confront an informed audience and emerge with honour and dignity.
As a person who has spent a lifetime at the sharp edge of his sport, I am sad to reflect that the sport lacks integrity, supported by a code of professional ethics; something that can only come through professional expertise, experience and qualifications.
The sport must realise that few, if any, athletes are “politicians”. They are mainly very young people, with high aspiration levels, who recognise that they only have a very limited time in which to demonstrate their skills. The lifespan of any sportsman, certainly at the elite level, is measurable in years rather than decades. Hence, to have vital years lost through administrative errors, as is the case of Phillip Spies, the nation’s best javelin thrower, is little short of a disaster. They represent years that can never be recaptured. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. South Africa could almost certainly achieve a clean sweep of the medals for the throwing events at the next Commonwealth Games, yet I sense few if any of these athletes will be selected.
There must be a radical change in both the philosophy of the sport and its “politics”. The sport must become “athlete-centred”. The athletes must be provided with the kind of support which the Operation Excellence wing of the National Olympic Committee of South Africa offered. They must be provided with coaches who are well-informed and well – trained. Such people exist here, but are not used. Likewise, they must have the support of all of the sport’s science and medical fraternity. Again there is an abundance of such people here in South Africa waiting to be used.
Selection for any team must only be based on merit. I am afraid athletes do not understand “affirmative action”.
True “development” must be the responsibility of the Department of Education. It must be in tandem with the training of motivated teachers.Of course this can be done in liaison with ASA which should make an input into the initial training of teachers and for their in- service training. However, any such partnership must be just that and not a dictatorship.
All that I can say as a final conclusion is that if this situation arose in the United Kingdom then the Sports Council – the government organisation responsible for sport – would have been forced into carrying out an independent inquiry. South Africa has some of the finest young athletes in the world. They have invested their future in ASA. They deserve the best possible support which their nation can provide.