OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Tuessday 1.00pm.
THE President of the South African Hockey Association, Claire Digby, has left for Rio de Janeiro to assist the embattled South African men’s hockey team to find a berth at the Sydney Olympics.
The team’s plight will be heard on Wednesday when the International Olympic Committee meets to consider whether the team should be allowed a berth at the Games. The decision will be based on submissions made by the SA Hockey Association, the National Olympic Commission of South Africa and the International Hockey Federation.
The team was told by Nocsa that it cannot compete at the Games because non-white players are inadequately represented and the side has no chance of finishing among the top nine, despite being African champions. They captured the sixth African Cup of Nations title in Bulawayo at the weekend by beating Egypt 3-2 in the final.
After trying in vain to get the team to the Olympics, Saha lodged an appeal with the IOC against NOCSA’s decision to exclude the team from the Olympics. The team have already satisfied the qualification criteria set by the IOC and NOCSA respectively.