Struggling Athletics SA will bounce back at Paris Olympics – Hendrick Mokganyetsi

Regrettably, a contingent of 36 athletes fell short of securing any medals at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, held in August, while the overall performance left much to be desired. 

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Hendrick Mokganyetsi, Chairperson of the ASA Athletes Commission, speaking to SABC Sport, described the past year as a challenging period for the national athletics federation.

"I think somewhere, somehow, in terms of the year's programme, some of the athletes that are contracted and have their own schedules, you'll find they've raced too much," defended Mokganyetsi.

"They had too much on their plates, so when they get to [the major events], they cannot deliver at 100 percent, so it's things we are looking at and you can hear from the Indaba that people were speaking about their mental health.

"Even if you give resources, those don't determine or give the final decision that a person will deliver, so there's a lot within that we need to work on, but we're looking forward.

"For us, it's to say, let's work as a family – when athletes have issues, they must talk to us so we can raise them, [rather] than to always come and defend their positions. 

"For us, it's not to defend but athletes must raise their issues at the right platform where we can deal with it."

The spotlight will be firmly on ASA and Swimming SA at the upcoming Paris Games next year, with swimming showing plenty of promise, but a noticeable decline plaguing track and field at recent Games and the last three Championships.

Despite these setbacks, Mokganyetsi remains optimistic about ASA’s prospects in Paris in less than 12 months’ time.

"Our plan for Paris is to change the way people perceive our athletes' performance. As ASA, we want to change that attitude, athletes are ready," he added.

"In our Indaba in January, we are going to emphasise that it's all about the athletes and it's all up to us to bring glory to the country – what do you need? How do we support you? What are the challenges prior to the Games? That mental support is what we're working on."

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