Where Your Dreams Become Reality
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Where Your Dreams Become Reality |
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Open letter to the
President of Athletics South
Africa (ASA) Mr Leonard Chuene Dear Mr Chuene Your comments, and those of the other members of the ASA delegation, before the parliamentary portfolio committee on sport during the past week, are such that I really cannot remain silent any longer. The utterances by your delegation, e.g. that sponsors only promote co-called "white" clubs and that athletics are being hijacked by "white" clubs, are not only specious, but are characteristic of the ASA leadership’s obsession with race that is threatening to split athletics. After ASA had caused similar divisions in athletics last year with vicious attacks on the likes of Nick Bester and Bruce Fordyce, Athletics Northern Gauteng passed an amended motion, brought by the Solidarity Athletics Club and calling on role players in athletics to refrain from making divisive comments. The most recent utterances have made it clear that ASA leadership had either not been informed of this motion, or has chosen blatantly to disregard it. As chairperson of the Solidarity Athletics Club I have the privilege, at road races every Saturday, at first hand to experience the goodwill and camaraderie between athletes. Your latest utterances have clearly demonstrated that the goodwill between athletes of all races is not brought about by ASA’s leadership, but rather that it exists in spite of ASA’s leadership. It is common cause that ASA’s incompetence has been the direct cause of the difficulties that have been experienced in recent years in finding athletics sponsors. ASA’s decision to play the race card against former sponsors is a clear attempt to cover up the role played by the ASA’s leadership in the dearth of sponsors. Utterances like the most recent ones will add to the hesitancy on the part of sponsors to involve themselves with athletics in future. I am a light-complexioned African and am involved with an athletics club because of my love for the sport. In terms of ASA leadership’s obsession with race, people like I are called "whites" who wish to hijack the sport. Comments like these give the impression that ASA’s leadership is of the opinion that "whites" cannot – or may not – play a credible role in athletics. Your utterances attempt to reduce people like me to second-class members of the athletics community. Fortunately your efforts will fail, since there is an abundance of goodwill at ground level in athletics. In view of the fact that politics, rather than athletics, have become ASA’s first concern, the time may have come for the ASA leadership to ask to be redeployed to parliament. Kallie Kriel Chairperson: Solidarity Athletics Club Gauteng North
Ope brief aan die President van Atletiek Suid-Afrika (ASA, mnr. Leonard Chuene
Geagte mnr. Chuene Die uitsprake wat u en die res van die ASA-afvaardiging die afgelope week voor die parlementêre portefeuljekomitee vir sport gemaak het, is van so 'n aard dat ek regtig nie langer kan swyg nie. U afvaardiging se uitsprake, soos byvoorbeeld dat borge slegs sogenaamde "wit" klubs bevorder en dat "wit" klubs atletiek kaap, is nie net vals nie, maar is kenmerkend van die rasbeheptheid waarmee die ASA-leierskap dreig om atletiek te verdeel. Nadat ASA verlede jaar op soortgelyke wyse verdeeldheid in atletiek veroorsaak het met striemende aanvalle op mense soos Nick Bester en Bruce Fordyce, het Atletiek Gauteng-Noord 'n geamendeerde mosie van die Solidariteit Atletiekklub aanvaar wat 'n beroep op rolspelers in atletiek doen om hulle te weerhou van verdelende uitsprake. Dit is na die jongste uitsprake duidelik dat die ASA-leierskap óf nie van die mosie ingelig is nie, óf dat dit blatant geïgnoreer word. As voorsitter van die Solidariteit Atletiekklub is ek in die bevoorregte posisie om Saterdag na Saterdag tydens padwedlope eerstehands die welwillendheid en kameraderie tussen atlete te beleef. Na u jongste uitsprake is dit duidelik dat die welwillendheid tussen atlete van alle rasse nie aan ASA se leierskap te danke is nie, maar eerder ondanks die ASA-leierskap bestaan. Dit is algemene kennis dat ASA se onbeholpenheid die direkte oorsaak is van die afgelope paar jaar se gesukkel om borge vir atletiek te bekom. ASA se besluit om die rassekaart teen voormalige borge te speel is 'n deursigtige poging om die ASA-leierskap se eie rol in die verlies aan borgskappe te verbloem. Uitsprake soos dié sal voornemende borge nog meer huiwerig maak om in die toekoms by atletiek betrokke te raak. Ekself is 'n Afrikaan met 'n ligte gelaatskleur, wat vir die liefde van die sport by 'n atletiekklub betrokke is. Ingevolge die ASA-leierskap se rasbeheptheid word daar egter by die parlement na mense soos ek verwys as "wittes" wat die sport wil kaap. Met hierdie soort uitsprake skep die ASA-leierskap die indruk dat sogenaamde "wittes" nie met geloofwaardigheid 'n rol in atletiek kan of mag speel nie. U poog met u uitspraak om mense soos ek effektief te reduseer tot tweedeklas-lede van die atletiekgemeenskap. Gelukkig sal u nie hiermee slaag nie, aangesien daar genoeg welwillendheid op grondvlak in atletiek is. Aangesien politiek - eerder as atletiek – deesdae ASA se eerste prioriteit is, het dit dalk tyd geword dat die ASA-leierskap 'n versoek rig om na die parlement herontplooi te word. Kallie Kriel Voorsitter: Solidariteit Atletiekklub Gauteng-Noord
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