Buoyed by a successful football World Cup in South Africa, sprint legend Frankie Fredericks pledged on Friday to do all he could to make an Olympics on the continent a reality.

The Namibian four-time Olympic silver medallist, in Singapore to offer advice to youngsters competing at the inaugural Youth Olympics, said he was determined to play his part.

“I will take up the challenge of improving athletics in Africa and take up the international challenge to make changes,” he told Sapa-AFP.

Fredericks, chairman of the International Olympic Committee’s Athletics Commission, said his mission included securing the Games for an African nation.

“It would be nice to share our culture, to share our vuvuzelas, to share our food, to share the way we do things with the world,” he said. “I do think we should get a chance to host the largest event in the world.”

The race to stage the 2020 Olympic Games opens next year, with South Africa set to throw its hat in the ring.

A bid for the Olympics is regarded as a way of maintaining the country’s new international profile and of maximising the investment it gained for hosting the World Cup.

In 1997 Cape Town made a bid to become the first African host of the Olympic Games, but failed to win the 2004 edition.

SASCOC have received the final report from Deloittes on the forensic audit carried out into the financial affairs of Athletics South Africa (ASA).

SASCOC and ASA administrator Mr Ray Mali have consulted with Senior Counsel and outlined the following process.

1. The charge sheets are now being completed out of the final forensic audit report and the initial investigating report in the Caster Semenya issue. The charge sheets will be issued to those individuals that are to be charged and the first sitting of the Disciplinary Inquiry  is scheduled for 9 and 10th September, 2010.

2. On the issue of the arbitration process that Messrs Chuene, Dlamini and Maponyane have embarked, on SASCOC will inform the Arbitration Foundation of South Africa that we will defend the action where necessary.

3. Mr Ray Mali, the administrator of ASA, will proceed to a South African police station and formally lay charges against certain individuals as recommended in the forensic report.

Finally the forensic report will be handed over to our Sports Minister Reverend Makhenkesi Stofile.

SASCOC has no further comment on this issue and any further information and development will be made available in due course.

South Africa’s Olympic sports governing body, SASCOC, has completed its investigation into the affairs of Athletics South Africa and the final report is expected on August 13 2010.

Following the forensic audit of Athletics South Africa by auditors Deloitte and subsequent draft report, disciplinary, criminal and civil charges are expected to be brought against individuals of the previous ASA board/staff.

The previous ASA board was suspended in November 2009, following the handling of the Caster Semenya affair during and after the World Track and Field Championships in Berlin last August.

Also in November, an interim board was appointed, under the guidance of SASCOC board member Ray Mali, and with the approval of the sport’s global body, the IAAF, to run the affairs of track and field in South Africa.

The forensic audit has uncovered poor corporate governance, the alleged misappropriation of funds and tax evasion at Athletics South Africa.

“The detailed forensic investigation by Deloitte has effectively been completed,” said SASCOC CEO Mr Tubby Reddy. “By August 13 the final report will be handed over and we expect to be able to hand matters over to the appropriate authorities for the consideration and issuing of summonses to currently suspended and ex-members of ASA in the week starting August 16.

“The SASCOC board has met with all necessary authorities in this case. The current ASA interim board has been briefed on the progress made and we have also kept the Ministry of Sport as well as the IAAF up to date with proceedings.”

The IAAF is fully committed in its support for SASCOC and Administrator of ASA Mr. Ray Mali of their engagement of this process.

To this extent the IAAF has granted SASCOC up to November 2010 to provide a further update.

Mr. Reddy said it was important that the matter was completed in a timely manner, while taking into account the rights of all those potentially involved or implicated.

“We want this matter expedited as quickly as possible, while at all times following due process. With an eye on impending ASA elections we need to have this matter completed in order for elections to go ahead.”

As the matter will be handed over to the necessary authorities Reddy said it would not be appropriate for SASCOC to comment any further.

SASCOC president Gideon Sam on Wednesday announced the addition of 32 more sportsmen and women for the South African team to do duty at this year’s Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India in October.

Added to the squad at the announcement at Olympic House in Johannesburg were further representatives from track and field, rugby sevens, cycling, swimming and para powerlifting.

Last month an initial Commonwealth squad of 115 names were announced, also in Johannesburg.

It’s expected that the bulk of South Africa’s medals in New Delhi will come from athletics and swimming and with Sevens rugby having being included as an Olympic code in Rio, 2016, this sporting code takes on added significance.

Eleven athletes were named on Wednesday and as expected world 800-metre champion Caster Semenya is among them as she continues her comeback after being cleared to compete by the IAAF last month. Also there are world 800m men’s champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, Olympic long jump silver medallist Khotso Mokoena and Commonwealth champions Elizna Naude (discus), Sunette Viljoen (javelin) and LJ van Zyl (400m hurdles).

Recently crowned world junior track 1000m time trial champion Bernard Esterhuizen is also in the team.

Four swimmers joined the squad: Jean Basson, Graeme Moore, Sebastien Rousseau and Charl van Zyl.

Speaking at the latest announcement Sam said the country needed to focus on its strengths. “It’s now becoming clearer that we have to move in the direction where our strengths lie. South Africa must learn to play to their strengths and I think that there’s no doubting that swimming and athletics must be the core of our medal onslaught in New Delhi.

“The other federations will still play their part, like lawn bowls that has traditionally been strong for us at previous Commonwealth Games, but the main thrust must be athletics and swimming. “I think South African sports fans are often obsessed with winning medals at each and every sport that we take part in but that can’t always be the case.

“Having said that, If athletics and swimming don’t fire on all eight cylinders then we are in trouble so we must put all our energies firmly behind them.

“I’m very happy to see the return of Caster Semenya to duty for South Africa. We have observed her progress closely since the IAAF cleared her to run and it’s good to hear her say that she’s focusing all her efforts on the Commonwealth. The fact that she’s unbeaten in her three races thus far and has improved her time on each occasion is good news for our medal effort in New Delhi.”

Sevens coach Paul Treu makes no bones about the task lying ahead in New Delhi. “We’ll be taking quite a young, inexperienced side to New Delhi and it’s going to be tough coming up against the likes of Australia and New Zealand who will be drafting in some members of the 15-man code.

“But we’re going to be working very hard from now until the Commonwealth Games because we obviously want to try and win a medal for the team.”

Treu was a player when the Sevens side won a bronze medal in Manchester in 2002 and was coaching the side in Melbourne in 2006. “It’s still quite a unique experience for the guys when we are part of a multi-sport event but as usual we’ll be buying into the team spirit and supporting all the other codes.

“With this in mind the World Games in Taiwan was a great learning experience last year and with sevens being part of the 2016 Olympics in Rio these multi-sport events can only be good for us a team in the lead up till then.”

Since their return to the Commonwealth, South Africa have never finished lower than 12th on the medals table. Their first Commonwealth Games after isolation were in Victoria, British Colombia where they won 11 medals to place 12th. Since then they have been represented in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (1998), Manchester (2002) and Melbourne (2006).

In Melbourne they were fifth on the medals table, winning a total of 38 medals (12 gold, 13 silver and 13 bronze) and finishing behind Australia, England, India and Canada. South Africa’s gold medals came from swimming (five), track and field (five) and one each from boxing and shooting.

A total of 17 sports will be contested at the Games: Archery, Aquatics, Athletics, Badminton, Boxing, Cycling, Gymnastics, Hockey, Lawn Bowls, Netball, Rugby Sevens, Shooting, Squash, Table Tennis, Tennis, Weightlifting and Wrestling.

Apart from these sports, 15 events will be contested across four Para-Sports codes, for elite athletes with a disability, on the inclusive sports programme. These are Athletics, Swimming, Powerlifting and Table Tennis.

Names added to the Commonwealth Games squad on Wednesday

Athletics: Elizna Naude, Justine Robbeson, Caster Semenya, Sunette Viljoen, Chris Harmse, Simon Magakwe, Khotso Mokoena, Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, Cheyne Rahme, Tumelo Thagane, LJ Van Zyl. Manager: Motlatsi Kekabele. Coaches: Brandan Du Plessis, Carl Preller. Para-athletes: Samkelo Radebe, David Roos. Manager/coach: Jacobus Matthyser

Cycling: Bernard Esterhuizen

Para powerlifting: Johannes Matthysen, Evgeni Niklaevich. Manager/coach: Rodney Anthony

Rugby Sevens: Cecil Afrika, Ryno Benjamin, Bernardo Botha, Kyle Brown, Renfred Dazel, Branco du Preez, Christopher Dry, MJ Mentz, Chase Minnaar, Lubabalo Mtembu, Johannes Prinsloo, Sibusiso Sithole. Manager: Sebastien Prim. Coach: Paul Treu. Assistant coach: Allan Temple-Jones

Swimming: Jean Basson, Graeme Moore, Sebastien Rousseau, Charl van Zyl. Manager: Laura Postma. Coaches: Graham Hill, Pierre de Roubaix, Cedric Finch, Dean Price

General team management
Chef de Mission: Patience Shikwambana
Manager (Logistics): Isaac Mdaka
Manager (Athlete Services): Jean Kelly
Administration: Jabu Malindi, Zandile Monyadi, Thiru Mundree, Jameson Seale, Sonja Grobler, Kayalethu Majeke

Three-time Olympian and gold medallist from the 2004 Games in Athens, Roland Schoeman, added another medal to a glittering CV with bronze in the men’s 50m butterfly at the 2010 Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine, California.

The Pan Pacs is a championship widely considered to the third toughest behind the Olympics and the World Championships, mainly as it involves the two traditional strongest nations in the pool, the United States and Australia.

Schoeman climbed out of the water after the 50m butterfly final a happy man. “I’m unshaved, unrested and seven weeks away of my major meet (the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in October). I’ll take that result. It’s never easy racing guys at their major meet of the year,” he said.

Elsewhere in the pool on the opening day of competition, South Africa’s finalist in the 2008 Olympic men’s freestyle, Jean Basson, also reached the ‘A’ final last night, where he placed sixth in 1min 47.43sec, improving on his morning heats swim by 0.37sec. The event was won by Ryan Lochte. The American stamped his authority down with a dominant, world-leading 1:45.30 victory over Olympic silver medallist Tae Hwan Park, of South Korea, on 1:46.27. 

Schoeman had qualified for the evening’s final in the 50m butterfly second fastest from the morning’s heats with a 23.41 performance. The Australian Geoff Huegill, a world champion from 2001 and now on the comeback trail, had been quickest in the heats, but in the final Schoeman pulled one over his rival, nudging him out of the bronze medal. The gold medal went to the Brazilian Cesar Cielo, in a Pan Pacs record of 23.03, with his countryman Nicholas Santos second in 23.06, Schoeman was credited with 23.39.

Cielo, whose best distance is the 50m freestyle, said: “I’m not really a 50-meter butterflyer, but everything that’s a 50 I find a way to go fast and tonight I found a way to go really fast. It was a wonderful surprise.”

Schoeman’s best for the event is 22.99, set in July 2005, and which remains a world record for a textile swim suit; the mark was subsequently broken last year when the controversial swimsuit war led to an avalanche of new world bests.

Basson might have been sixth in the men’s 200m freestyle final, but ahead of him were two Americans and a South Korean, who he won’t have to face should he be added to Team South Africa for the Commonwealth Games. While Lochte was out on his own, hitting the wall in 1:45.30, just 0.20 seconds separated fourth, fifth and sixth.

Leigh-Ann Zackey, captain of the Gauteng North team had the perfect birthday present on Saturday when her team beat Free State Motheo 38-21 in the final of the SPAR National Netball Championships in Potchefstroom.

The championships serve as great build-up to the Commonwealth Games in India later this year. Zackey had said on Friday that the game plan was to take an early lead and to break the rhythm of their opponents, which is exactly what the Pretoria team did when they came out gun’s ablaze and went into a 5-0 lead before Free State were able to score their first goal. Gauteng North dominated the court and Free State struggled to get the ball into their circle in the early stages of the game.

Although Free State fought back bravely, it didn’t seem likely that they would catch up with Gauteng North.  Free State goal attack Maryke Holtzhausen had a good game, but her national teammates, goalkeeper Amanda Mynhardt and goal defence Zackey proved very hard to handle.

Gauteng North led 7-3 by the end of the first quarter and increased their lead to 10 goals by halftime, when they led 17-7. The third quarter was the most successful for the Free State, who scored eight goals in the quarter, but Gauteng North goalshooter Vanes-Mari du Toit and goal attack Annemarie Frost added 11 goals to their total.  By the final quarter, it was all over but Free State never gave up trying.

Marshalling her troops with skill and speed Erin Burger, named player of the tournament, was once again a dominant force on the court. She was ably supported by her centre court partners, wing attack Vasta Mhlongo and wing defence Rozanne Naidoo.

Coach Elize Kotze said the plan had been to dominate their opponents from the start. “We didn’t want to give them any hope,” she said.  “Throughout the tournament, we have started hard and got a good lead, and then made it difficult for our opponents to catch up.”

She said the success was partly because the nucleus of the team had been together for about three years. “They understand and trust one another, and that is why they are able to dominate,” she said.

“We started a very rigorous training programme at the start of the soccer World Cup, when there was a long lay-off.  I was determined that we would be the fittest team at the tournament, and I think there is no doubt that also contributed to our success.”

It was Gauteng North’s 19th championship title. They last won in Durban in 2007.

Gauteng North also won the men’s final, beating Ethekwini 31-28. The Gauteng North women’s B-team almost made it a hat-trick for their province in the B-section final, losing to South Western Districts by a single goal in extra time.  The final score in that match was SWD 55 Gauteng North 54. The C-section final was won by West Coast, who beat the Mpumalanga team, Gert Sibanda, 43-32.

Final day results
Women’s A Section
Gauteng North bt Free State Motheo 38/21

Women’s B Section
SWD bt Gauteng North 55/54

Women’s C Section
Gauteng North bt Ethekwini 31/28

Men’s Section
West Coast bt Gert Sibanda 43/32

Final standings
Women’s A Section
1 Gauteng North
2 Free State Motheo
3 Dr Kenneth Kaunda (NWS)
4 Western Province
5 Griqualand West
6 Gauteng East
7 Boland
8 Nelson Mandela Bay
9 Gauteng Central
10 Gauteng West

Women’s B Section
1 SWD
2 Gauteng North
3 Boland
4 Western Province
5 Zululand
6 Nelson Mandela Bay
7 Vhembe
8 Amathole
9 Gauteng Vaal
10 Capricorn

Women’s C Section
1 West Coast
2 Gert Sibanda
3 Griqualand West
4 Central Boland
5 KZN Midlands
6 Enhlanzeni
7 Shared between Waterberg and Ethekwini
9 Gauteng Central
10 Nkangala
11 Sekhukhune
12 NM Molema
13 Bojanala
14 OR Tambo
15 Fezile Dabi
16 KZN Ukhahlamba
17 Alfred NZO
18 Cacadu
19 EC Ukhahlamba
20 Chris Hani

Men’s Section
1 Gauteng North
2 Ethekwini
3 Zululand
4 KZN Midlands
5 Waterberg
6 Free State Motheo
7 Gauteng Central
8 NM Molema
9 Gauteng Vaal
10 KZN Ukhahlamba
11 Bojanala
12 Gauteng North
13 Dr Kenneth Kaunda (NWS)
14 Capricorn
15 Central Boland
16 Vhembe
17 Fezile Dabie
18 Limpopo Sekhukhune

Samantha McIntosh fared best of the South Africans in action as the inaugural Youth Olympics started winding down in Singapore on Tuesday.

The young Pretoria based horserider ended fourth in the individual jump-off to narrowly miss another medal for Team South Africa.

Riding Little Miss Sunshine, McIntosh completed the jump-off in 40.32 seconds with no penalties. She finished one spot off the medals as riders from Uruguay, Colombia and Saudi Arabia took the medal positions at the Singapore Turf Club.

In the rhythmic gymnastics competition Aimee Van Rooyen ended 14th overall in the individual All-Around qualification. She ended 16th, 14th, 15th and 13th for the four rotations of qualifying with scores of 20.450, 20.850, 20.350 and 21.250 for an overall points tally of 82.900.

Our two canoeists were also in action. Kerry Segal lost to Canada in round one of the head to head sprints in the slalom competition. She clocked 2:01.86 and went on to the repechage where she had a time of 1:59.67 but lost to China. Luke Stowman lost to Spain in his first round of the sprint with a time of 1:54.67 and then beat his Belarussian opponent in the second round with a time of 1:42.91 before losing to Australia in the third round with a time of 1:46.22.

Segal went on to finish 19th overall in the slalom and Stowman stuck around to end 14th overall in the boys’ slalom event.

Our girls hockey lost their fifth and final match, losing the fifth-sixth place qualification encounter 3-1 to Ireland, meaning they were without a win at the Games.

South Africa had no competitors in action on the last day of the Youth Olympics and will return home with a total of 11 medals. Of these two were gold, five silver and four bronze.

Six of the medals came in the swimming competition, four in athletics and one in equestrian.

On an individual level, swimmer Chad le Clos was the star of the games for Team SA, winning one gold and three silver medals.

Izelle Neuhoff earned South Africa’s 11th medal at the inaugural Youth Olympics in Singapore on Monday.

She was part of an African athletics team that finished second to earn a silver medal behind the Americas team in the girls medley final on the track. The four-girl team combined for a time of 2min 06.19sec in a race that features legs of 100, 200, 300 and 400 metres.

Also on the track Thato Makhafola placed eighth in the girls’ 1000-metre final. The 16-year-old was the only South African involved in an A-final on Monday and clocked 2min 52.65sec. The race was won by Ethiopia’s Tizita Ashame in a personal best 2:43.24.

There was still something for South Africans to celebrate though as Michael Cilliers set a personal best 4.60 metres to win the boys pole vault B-Final.

He cleared 4.60 with this third attempt and then failed with three attempts at 4.70m. His winning height was 10cm higher than runner-up Reese Watson of the US.

In another B Final Schalk Burger took honours in the boys 400m hurdles, clocking 52.39sec.

Then Stiaan Minnie placed sixth in the boy’s hammer B-final. He threw 63.30m with his third attempt after earlier throws of 54.65 and 62.11. Winner was Mexico’s Diego De Real with a 69.66m hurl.

In the women’s triple jump, Valentina da Rocha failed to start the event due to injury.

In basketball action our boys team finally recorded a win when they downed Panama 21-13 in a round-robin fixture to end 19th overall.

South Africa notched up their 10th medal of the inaugural Youth Olympics in Singapore on Sunday.

That medal came courtesy of Rudolph Pienaar in the long jump final.

He soared to a personal best of 7.53 metres to take bronze.

That was South Africa’s only medal of the day but Dylan Jacobs went close in the boys’ javelin final when his personal best throw of 72.33m was good for fourth spot.

In the cycling competition our BMX world junior champion Teagan O’Keeffe ended 19th in the girl’s road time trial, a discipline very unfamiliar to her, as she clocked 3hr 42min 09sec.

Also on the road, Jayde Julius rode to a fine fifth place with team-mate Luke Roberts 42nd, both being credited with the same time of 1:15.44.

In equestrian action Samantha McIntosh is tied for the lead with nine other countries after the first round of individual competition. She now goes into the second round.

Our girls hockey team went down 1-0 to Ireland, their fourth loss, but the closest result of their campaign thus far.

Canoeist Kerry Segal lost her head-to-head competition in round four, going down to Hungary as she clocked 1:52.97.

And our men’s basketballers went down 11-27 to India in the ranking round.