Business Day (Johannesburg)
Stuart Graham
10 July 2009
Johannesburg — SA's poorly performing sportsmen and women need a state-funded sports academy that reports to Parliament to help improve their results, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said yesterday.
DA MP Donald Lee said the academy should provide a venue with top quality sports training facilities and have recruiters regularly roaming the country for new talent.
"The DA proposes the establishment of a South African Sports Academy for both able-bodied and disabled sportsmen and women that could be built up as a centre of sporting excellence," Lee said.
It would be the academy's duty to recruit local and international coaching staff comprising the best available expertise in any particular area.
"We believe these measures would help to realise the talents of many young South Africans and bring glory back to many of the currently neglected sporting codes," Lee said.
A DA document released yesterday, identified four of the worst-performing sporting administrators in SA -- Boxing SA, Swimming SA, the South African Football Association and Netball SA.
"Arrogance, financial mismanagement, the padding of salaries and bonuses for executives at the expense of sports development and neglect of sound management has left many sporting codes struggling," Lee said.
"This has left many federations struggling to hold onto sponsorships and excessively dependent on state funding for survival."
Lee said the problems had a direct effect on the pursuit of sporting excellence and had contributed to the continuing decline in rankings in important sports.
"If SA is to reach its full sporting potential the government must become involved in a far more constructive way with supporting and nurturing young players." Sapa
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