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Two-time South African Coach of the Year and highly respected road running mentor Mike Mbambani has confirmed to SABC Sport that he will be contesting for the position of Road Running Chairperson on the Athletics South Africa (ASA) board.
Mbambani, who coached South Africa’s marathon team for the Paris Olympic Games last year, will go up against the incumbent, Enock Skosana, for the key leadership role.
Mbambani, who recently served as race director for the Absa Run Your City 10km in Gqeberha, believes he has fresh and progressive ideas to revitalise and grow the discipline.
“From my perspective, when you lead a commission like this, you need to lead alongside the athletes and be their voice when engaging with event organisers. It’s important to fully understand the criteria used for recognising South African athletes in road running.”
Mbambani added that if elected to the position, one of his key goals would be to establish a clear structure for classifying South Africa’s road running events to create higher-level competition opportunities for local athletes.
"We need to start grading our road races to identify bronze, silver, gold, and even platinum-level events.
“For example, the Absa Run Your City series is a platinum-standard race. This system needs to be formalized, documented, and submitted to the ASA board for approval and prioritization," he explained.
He also expressed frustration over the lack of attention road running receives compared to track events, especially when it pertains to major international competitions.
"Every time we talk about the Olympics or World Championships, the conversation is always about track, and this even extends to communications with SASCOC (South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee).
“Road running is constantly sidelined, because 95% of South Africa’s licensed athletes are road runners, yet most of the funding is directed toward track. I intend to change that and fight for road runners to be recognised and properly supported,” said the two-time South African Coach of the Year.
He also perceives that middle-distance races are not given the attention they deserve, “When last did you see a 5000m or 10,000m race featured at the ASA series? You don’t — and whose fault is that?
“I’ll serve one term, but I plan to contest and campaign aggressively,” warned Mpambani.
The eagerly awaited elections are set to take place in Johannesburg on the 31st of May.
