/ 16 November 2009

ASA vows to fight Sascoc takeover

Athletics SA would not accept a takeover by South Africa’s Olympic body Sascoc, said Simon Dlamini, chairperson of ASA’s finance committee, on Monday.

The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) announced on Saturday that its board member, Ray Mali,
would assume commaned of ASA’s administration on Monday morning.

This comes as suspended ASA president Leonard Chuene faces the boot from his office in Houghton over the handling of the Caster Semenya gender saga.

But Dlamini told SAfm on Monday: ”We are not going to take this lying cdown. We are going to defend it strongly. They [Sascoc] will find people in the office.”

Dlamini criticised Sascoc’s handling of the matter, saying the body should rather focus on preparing for a meeting scheduled to take place in Parliament on Tuesday.

But Sascoc CEO Tubby Reddy said the decision to take over ASA was endorsed by the entire Sascoc membership and the sports ministry.

”We are not rushing anything,” Reddy told SAfm.

After a meeting on Saturday, Sascoc said in a statement that Mali would form an interim board to govern and regulate athletics in South Africa as the sport’s embattled federation faces restructuring.

Sascoc added that the suspended ASA board and members of senior management would face disciplinary hearings.

The decision to place Mali in charge follows a commission of enquiry into the Semenya gender controversy.

Semenya won the 800m gold medal at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin in August after which her gender was questioned. – Sapa