Don’t blame Sascoc for taking Chinese money

The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) has been criticised in recent days over their choice of kit manufacturer for the coming Olympic Games in London and the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The chosen company, a Chinese outfit by the name of Erka, have also provided sponsorship valued at $4-million (approximately R29-million).

The Department of Trade and Industry, trade unions, civil society and local manufactures have all said Sascoc should’ve opted to support South African enterprise instead of taking the money offered by Erka. Sascoc president Gideon Sam put it bluntly by saying that local outfitters didn’t offer or couldn’t match the sponsorship offered by Erka.

R29-million might sound like a lot but consider how much Australia, Japan, the USA, Great Britain, China and Russia invest in their Olympic programs. While I don’t have figures at hand, it is reasonable to argue that they invest way more then South Africa does into Olympic sports. Granted, all the aforementioned countries have much larger economies than South Africa’s, with spending perhaps being more proportional as a result. But that still doesn’t mean we should ignore the fact that Olympic sports in South Africa are primarily amateur in make up, with their being limited corporate and government sponsorship.

It’s would be churlish to complain about South Africa’s declining medal haul since 1996 and not consider the impact of funding. South Africa is a sports mad country, and as such we expect to be competitive or to be successful on the international stage. In reality, South Africa is only internationally competitive in cricket and rugby on a large professional scale. The myth that South Africa should be dominant world player in soccer as well is just that, a myth. Africa, yes. The world? Please.

We do produce high-calibre athletes in other sports such as swimming, rowing, and a whole range of less popular sports, but such competitors are the exception, not the norm. The reason the British were so successful in Beijing, where they won their best gold medal haul in over 50 years, was because they decided to invest in only a limited number of sports in which they believed they would have the best chance of success, such as cycling and rowing.

They realised that trying to give a little bit everywhere instead of a lot selectively reduced their competitiveness across the board. So, they made a change, and finished fourth on the medals table with 19 golds. South Africa can only dream of winning that many. So with murmuring emerging from the Department of Sport and Sascoc of South Africa going the same way, that was music to my ears.

Yes, it would’ve been nice for Sascoc to go local and support South African enterprise, but in the world of professional sport, money talks. Personally, the Olympics are a representation of prestige, and South Africa winning only one medal in Beijing was embarrassing. It depends on your priorities, but I want South Africa to succeed as much as possible at the Olympic Games, and if Chinese money helps in that aim, a bit of introspection and pragmatism is what is required.