A number of overseas athletes were busy on the track and one could see that they meant business. One gets a good feeling when you see that our facilities are of such a high standard that athletes from across the globe come over to make use of them.

It got me thinking that we should work towards greater access to these facilities for our own athletes who are battling with below standard facilities.

The Sports Indaba held last year identified the challenge of sports infrastructure as one of the stumbling blocks for sports development in the country. But before we rush off and start building new facilities, let us make use of those that already exist optimally.

Back to Luvo and coach Mario. It is a great combination and the programme leading to leading London is clear. Mario is like a father to Luvo doing things that you would expect the athlete to take care of, but Luvo and his circumstances need a fatherly figure and Mario plays that role well.

This talented athlete needs somebody to hold his hand so that he can concentrate on what he does best. Going forward, Mario will get a helping hand from the university sports institute in dealing with the demands being made on Luvo. He has enormous talent and it should be nurtured by all who care for the well- being of all our athletes.

The process to determine what a sports high performance system should entail in South Africa kicked off this week with a round table discussion at SASCOC. More about this next time.

Next week we will be 200 days away from the start of the Paralympic Games in London and to mark the occasion, a function will be held in Simon’s Town by the
British High Commission. Watch this space to hear how battle ready our Paralympic athletes are.

We’re currently busy with our P.R plan for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games right now and a lot of work has been done and may I add, continues to be done on this front.

To this effect we’ve gone to various agencies and are busy finalising a mascot for the Games. The way it works is that there will be an independent judging panel from which a short line-up will be selected and then it’s up to you the public to have the final say on which exciting mascot gets the nod to be representative of our great nation in London.

Then, in line with our upcoming national kit launch, I have another trip to Shanghai, China in the first week of March to finalise and bring back the first clothing garments for the launch.

Another exciting development going forward is that in line with our existing partnership with the SA National Defence Force regarding the joint boxing project we are expanding into other sport types.

The Indian army have a very good record of developing sporting talent and to this effect they have invited the SANDF who in turn have invited both  Sport and Recreation South Africa and ourselves on this delegation to India later this month to see first hand how they work. General Manager Ms Patience Shikwambana will represent SASCOC in this matter.

I’m also happy to report that my Executive Manager, Ms Jean Kelly, represented SASCOC in Cali, Colombia where the 2013 World Games will be staged. She is our project manager for the Games and this was the first NOC preparation meeting. Relevant documentation was given to the visiting NOC’s and site visits were arranged to the various official and non-official hotels as well as to some of the sports venues. The games are scheduled to take place from 25 July – 4 August.

Jean tells me that the public are really rallying around the Games hype and at the launch of the Games campaign approximately 4000 people attended, along with the Colombian President, Mr Juan Manuel Santos.

And then, looking even further ahead, we are working behind the scenes already for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

March will see project manager Ms Desiree Vardhan and myself traveling to Glasgow, Scotland as part of this preparation.

Multiple South African champion Curt Alchin, 44, passed away after a tragic accident at the Victory Raceway in Port Elizabeth on Saturday evening and Sunday morning saw the death of 37-year-old Wim Pretorius at the Zwartkops Raceway in Pretoria.

“It is indeed an unfortunate tragedy what has happened to these talented athletes. It takes great nerve and courage to compete at the top levels in motorsport and to lose their lives ‘on the ‘job’ is heart-breaking,” said Reddy.

Alchin, an honorary member of the Algoa Motorsport Club, was awarded national colours in 2004 for his success in international Oval Racing. His titles include 1995 Production Car Champion, 1999 Modified Saloons Champion, 2002 Standard 1600 Saloons Champion, 2005 Modified Saloons Dirt Champion, and 2006 Modified Saloons 1600 Tar Champion.

According to a statement released by Motorsport South Africa (MSA), Pretorius lost his life whilst participating in the Thunderbikes race. An amateur driver, he started racing in the middle of 2009, competing in only eight out of 22 races for the year yet ended ninth in the total points standings. The following year he contested four races, finishing second in two and winning the other two. Then last year he won the Thunderbike B Class club championship.

Reddy extended the Olympic governing body’s condolences to both sportsmen’s families. “On behalf of SASCOC and all its members, I would like to send our sincere condolences to both the families and friends of these members of the SA sport community.”

After meeting with our two Vice-presidents we concluded that we are really going to have to assist each other to keep pace with all the development that is lying ahead.

The implementation of the resolutions from the Ministerial Sports Indaba, will be top of our agenda, because we really do not want to drop the ball, nor can we afford to.

The SASCOC management team has analysed our roles in the whole implementation process and we will be guided by the availability of resources in playing our role.

Coupled with the above, we also have to ensure that athletes get the best service in their final preparations for this year’s Olympics.

And already we are looking ahead as we also need to continue the search for new talent for the years ahead. To this extent we will be rolling out the Talent Identification pilot programme with the University of Johannesburg. After several rounds of consultations with stakeholders, the programme is now ready to be tested on a limited scale.

The issue of High Performance Sport will also come under the magnifying glass early next month. We believe that the programmes proposed at the National Sports Indaba will definitely deliver talent. It is therefore important that we have a system in the country that will look after that talent. This will be the essence of the discussions next month and we hope to come out of these discussions with a road map for dealing with identified sport talent in the country.

There is also a scheduled Board meeting early next month and part of the agenda will deal with the issues raised in the media about the alleged spat within SASCOC. We owe it to our members to clear the air on some of these matters raised in the media.

Speaking of team delivery I have just returned from Austria where 16-year-old Sive Speelman was South Africa’s sole representative at the inaugural Winter Youth Olympics which concluded in Innsbruck, at the weekend.

As I shared in our press release it was extremely heartening to see Sive in action against athletes from 74 nations. He represented our country with honour and distinction, we are all so proud of him. He gives us hope that South African sport will continue to flourish.

Upon my return I went to the Wanderers stadium for the final ODI cricket match against the Sri-Lankans and I got to witness one of the most memorable games yet.

To see Graeme Smith’s knock of 125 was special as was AB de Villiers’ century. Although the Proteas lost the final ODI against the Southern Asians, I was encouraged to see De Villiers take control and make some game-changing decisions that will no doubt be hugely beneficial in due course.

I must also congratulate our national men’s and women’s hockey teams on their well-deserved victories against India (men) and Spain (women). Our President and some of our staff members tell me that the women’s clashes were truly phenomenal. This is all good news as they prepare for their respective Olympic qualifying events in India and Japan. We at SASCOC are really hopeful that both teams qualify for the Olympics.

Our 2012 calendar is long and exciting, as we work on our roll-out plan and what it takes to deliver three teams in 2012. These are the Olympic and Paralympic teams as well as the Zone VI games which will follow soon after London.

This week our Project Manager for the 2013 World Games, Miss Jean Kelly, is in Cali, Colombia where the first meeting called by the host country of the 2013 World Games has been scheduled. It’s hard to think that the last World Games were in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan almost three years ago. Time really flies. Jean will update us about the 2013 Games delivery on her return.

I continue to be encouraged by the Honourable Minister Fikile Mbalula daily, and this week he hosted a successful breakfast meeting. At this meeting he was encouraging businesses to invest and support our sports, especially school sport, as it is the foundation of our future. I am looking forward to a positive outcome.

Let me take this opportunity to send SARU regards as they are about to unveil who will be at the helm of our mighty Boks in the next season or two. I am sure whoever they entrust the position to will solely deserve this honour.

And finally for now, on a sad note, I would like to send condolences to the national football body, family and friends of Jeffrey Ntuka, on his passing at the weekend. His death and the manner in which it happened saddens us deeply. To lose such a talented youngster is extremely heart-breaking; we at SASCOC mourn with you on this terrible loss.

the 2012 Paralympic Games in London are requested to register their names (and

organisations) with SASCOC, South Africa’s Olympic governing body.

London 2012 Paralympic Accreditation 

Sixteen-year old Speelman was South Africa’s sole representative at the inaugural Winter Youth Olympics which concluded in Innsbruck, Austria at the weekend.

Speelman, who hails from the Eastern Cape, took part in four events during the competition which ran from 13-22 January.

“It was extremely heartening to see Sive in action against athletes from 74 nations,” said Reddy, head of South Africa’s Olympic governing body. “There is no doubt that he represented his country with honour and distinction.

“He definitely put South Africa on the map at these Games. We must remember that he is a young African guy competing against skiers who have all taken part in snowsport activities from an extremely young age.”

“His best event was his third event, the Giant Slalom, where he finished 35th and contrary to media reports saying he finished last, he finished 35th out of a total of 48 opponents and 64 starters, giving every reason for South Africa to be very proud of him.”

Reddy also emphasised that there was nothing untoward about the size of the management team that accompanied Speelman to the Games. “There were 14 countries who had only one athlete representing them and, as per the normal process, they had exactly the same number of officials as us, namely, a coach, chef de mission, project manager and their respective presidents and secretary-generals also accompanied the team at various occasions.”

Reddy went on to say that in terms of meeting, networking and exchanging ideas and information, the trip had been invaluable.

“Sive was also very well received in Austria. The IOC (International Olympic Committee) commissioned their video unit to do a special documentary on him and we eagerly await a copy of this to see our athlete in action.”

We will now watch the athletes going through their final paces and yes, I am extremely nervous now, because I want each and every athlete to do well for the country. That is again surely the wish of every South African.

That was also the call from the Deputy President of the country, Kgalema Motlanthe, that we should improve on Beijing. We dare not fail!

The support staff at SASCOC will this year be involved a number of activities, because everything must be done to pave the way for a smooth path for our athletes in the Olympics as well as the Paralympics.

I can see them putting in many hours of hard work to render the right support. Coupled to all this, we also need to keep an eye on the preparations for the World Games and Commonwealth Games. If anything, the midnight candle will be burnt long and hard here at the SASCOC office.

I see that our lone athlete at the Youth Winter Olympic Games, Sive Speelman, is acquitting himself well in Austria. It’s a daunting task for an Eastern Cape youngster heading off to Europe and take on competitors who were born into a Winter Olympics culture but I’m sure this experience is going to see him coming along in leaps and bounds.

Finallly, there have been a number of matters raised in the media about the succession race at SASCOC but all I can say is that these will be dealt with by the Board. We are also confident that this matter will not distract us from our set goals for London.

Our Annual General Meeting set down for August will give fresh mandates on the leadership of SASCOC and until then, let us all focus on the task at hand and we all know what this task is… medals in London.

Our Road to London takes a whole new meaning now. What we have been doing in the past four years will finally be showcased. Yes, you can say our long-awaited scripts will finally be marked. Unfortunately for us the scale is that much bigger in the Olympic Games versus the Paralympic Games. We are confident that both our teams will perform to the best of their ability. However, we are proud of our efforts, therefore face this challenge with nothing but excitement.

In December after we had closed offices we had a visit to Shanghai, home to the ERKE factory; Team SA kit sponsor for the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games as well as Brazil 2016. I am happy to report that all is on track in this regard. They have produced one of the best kits possible. But you’ll be the judge soon enough, come the ‘Kit Launch’ scheduled for April 2012.

I’m next off to Innsbruck, Austria for the Winter Youth Olympics to provide the necessary SASCOC support to the athlete.

And before I leave, let me take this opportunity to congratulate Graeme Smith and his team on a job well done, for clinching the Test Series against Sri-Lanka.  Also notable was Jacques Kallis’ achievement of 150 Tests. And then all the best to AB de Villiers, as he embarks on the journey of being the new ODI captain. You will do great things I’m sure. A special mention must be made of Hashim Amla as he continues with consistently impressive performance. We also wish him well as he awaits the birth of his first child.

On a final note, you may have seen Sunday’s newspaper reports questioning the need for SASCOC to send such a “big” administrative team to the Winter Youth Olympics in Austria where Sive Speelman is representing our country. There is absolutely nothing untoward in the size of this team. As per SASCOC policy and procedure we support our athletes to the hilt. Sive obviously needs his coach to be with him, the team also needs a chef de mission as well as a project manager to ensure that everything runs smoothly.

These are standard policies at SASCOC. It’s also standard procedure for the SASCOC Board to be represented during all major multi-code events. As such, for the first half of the Games the first vice-president will represent SASCOC in Innsbruck after the President indicated his unavailability and I will be there for the second half. I find it strange that when things are going well at SASCOC people see the need to point fingers and have to find something to criticise. Nothing positive about the fact that a young African has overcome great odds to qualify and participate at the Games – even declaring that he finished last in his first race which is untrue. There were 55 athletes and he finished 41st.

We at SASCOC put an enormous amount of spending into our athletes, details of which are on the SASCOC home page. We are very proud of the hard work we put in on behalf of our athletes but as is always the case you can’t keep everyone happy all the time.

Also this past weekend, in case you hadn’t heard, I can confirm that there will now be a forensic audit of one of our National Federations, that of Power Boat South Africa. We have commissioned Deloitte to conduct this audit, probing the financial statements and functioning of Power Boat SA for the last five years. Meanwhile Mr Kobus Marais will continue to head the interim leadership structure of Powerboat South Africa as the administrator.

The national governing body, following various allegations against the Federation’s administration, placed Power Boat South Africa under the administration of SASCOC Board member Mr Kobus Marais.

Mr Reddy said that following SASCOC’s investigation it was felt there was a need for a forensic audit.

‘An important component of the investigation into Powerboat SA is the need for a forensic audit. To this end I am happy to report that SASCOC has commissioned Deloitte to conduct such a forensic audit. Deloitte has been advised to probe the financial statements and the functioning of Powerboat SA for the last five-year period.

“They have also been advised to probe all the officials of Powerboat SA for the last five year period that maybe linked to any misappropriation or  mismanagement, if evident,’ said Reddy.

Reddy added that an interim leadership in the discipline South African Inflatable Boat Association (SAIBA) had been set up by Mr Marais and thanked Marais for also overseeing the successful staging of the Trans-Agulhas event. Mr Marais will also meet with other disciplines within Powerboat South Africa next week.