Minister of Sport and Recreation Ngconde Balfour has admitted that the organisation of the All Africa Games `went astray’. Michael Finch reports
Like it or not, after nearly three years of preparation, the seventh All Africa Games got under way in Johannesburg this week. But not without major problems.
The largest multi-sport event to be held in South Africa and one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken by our fledgling democracy, the Johannesburg All Africa Games will be the biggest version of the “Olympics of Africa”.
A total of 51 countries (Gambia pulled out at the last minute owing to financial problems) will participate in 20 sports, including disabled sport. In Harare in 1995, the games had 18 sports and 46 countries.
When South Africa agreed to host the games early in 1998 at the request of the Supreme Council of Sport in Africa, it was after much deliberation.
The games were stigmatised as a non-event, hardly attracting any of the big names in African sport, and barely able to engender national interest when they were last held.
So South Africa embarked on an ambitious marketing plan aimed at taking away the financial responsibility from the already burdened government and making the games a viable, market-driven event.
The plan worked, partly.
But as Minister of Sport and Recreation Ngconde Balfour admitted this week: “We are acutely aware of the phrase that `the best laid plans of mice and men’ often go astray.”
By October last year, the planned deadline for all the sponsors to be signed up, it was clear that it was no easy task. Less than half of the R60-million needed from commercial sponsors had been signed up, with the three tiers of government – provincial, regional and national – providing the remaining R40-million.
Latest figures show that the government is already in for R48-million, although no information is available regarding the total amount of money raised from the private sector.
During this past week, a number of problems have, not unexpectedly, crept in.
l Sources confirmed that the revised operating budget of R120-million was already over budget by R33-million, a figure that could reach R100-million.
l The construction of the athletes village was not completed by the time athletes moved in this week. Workers hurried to complete final electrical work and clean up the dust.
l It was learnt that some of the biggest drawcards, including the likes of Olympic 5 000m and 10 000m champion Haile Gebrselassie, would not be attending the games.
l With accreditation applications going missing, many members of the media, team management and technical staff had to reapply for accreditation. Matters worsened on Tuesday when staff ran out of paper to print accreditation bibs.
l The marketing plan was running behind schedule with the late erection of billboards and signboards just two weeks before the start of the games.
l The late signing of the television contract with SABC impacted on the sale of the games to international TV networks.
In truth, those problems pale into the background when faced the biggest single issue surrounding the games: the simple act of putting bums on seats.
In Harare, the lonely stands of the athletics stadium during the opening ceremony was indicative of the interest shown by the locals, and this too is the biggest task South Africa faces.
In a country spoilt with top-class cricket and rugby, not even the world’s best track and field stars competing in the World Cup in Johannesburg last year was enough to draw the crowds.
Although weather conditions didn’t help matters, it is clear South Africa’s sports culture supports cricket, rugby and, more passionately, club and international soccer.
Perhaps the only sport that could rightly attract world-class drawcards will be swimming. Multiple world record-holder Penny Heyns has already committed herself to participating, as have the rest of the victorious team that returned home from the Pan Pacific Championships two weeks ago.
For the sake of South Africa’s 2006 World Cup Soccer bid, the popularity of the under-23 tournament could also prove pivotal, while attendances at the track and field events will be carefully scrutinised by the world.
So for South Africa, it’s not just about the games. It’s about the games and beyond.