'Athletics no Cinderella sport'

Soccer, rugby and cricket have stinking images, yet government and sponsors continue to support them at the cost of athletics which has a cleaned up act and is producing the goods.

It sounds like the three ugly sisters who are invited to the ball, while athletics, the flagship of the Olympics, is treated as a Cinderella sport.

Clearly, judging by the manner in which Athletics SA CEO Baneli Sindani was raging on Tuesday, the "Fairy Godfather" of South African sport is way off beam for neglecting athletics while having a ball with the three frowned-upon sporting sisters.

"When last did you see the Minister of Sport Ngconde Balfour attend one of our international athletics meetings?" raged Sindani on Tuesday. "But you will always find him among the dignitaries of soccer, rugby and cricket who are way behind athletics in terms of unity and performances on the field.

"When last did our athletes get a message of goodwill from the President. We see Madiba with the cricketers. But our athletes don't even get a message of goodwill from any of these leaders to lift their spirits on departure to a major event or on their return after excelling.

"Why are sponsors falling over themselves to sponsor soccer, rugby and cricket whose images are pretty well tarnished right now, while our athletes - many of whom are producing records and are expected to win medals at the Commonwealth and Olympic Games - have to scrounge for a living?

"Our athletes are being treated unfairly, and the business world needs to wake up and take notice," said Sindani. "Because if our athletes don't matter to them, then we may as well close shop and see if our three 'glamour sports' can take the nation forward."

ASA appear to have cleaned up their act after weathering allegations of corruption last year. They then very effectively closed a rift within their ranks by bringing athletes and coaches into the Federation's decision-making fold.

"We changed from an autocracy to a body that practices an honest and transparent democracy," said Sindani. "Everybody is happy now. We are like a family and it's started to show on the field. We are way ahead of any other sport in South Africa in this regard.

"So why is it that our top soccer and rugby players and cricketers get paid money in the millions, yet our top athletes are expected to deliver, and when they do, they must pick up the crumbs.

"Ninety percent of the distribution of sporting funds in this country go to these three sports, yet the images of all three stink.

"We are gatvol (fed up)," fumed Sindani. "The media seldom give our athletes a fair showing when they excel, but let there be some controversy and we hit the headlines.

"We don't believe our athletes deserve to be the 'step-children' of South African sport. They deserve to be supported because they play their part, but we have sponsors who are threatening to turn away from athletics.

"They say they are looking for a certain kind of image to market their product. Yet they are looking to put their money into a sport like soccer whose image stinks and everybody knows it.

"All we are asking is to treat our athletes with respect and watch them produce. If the sponsors don't want to come through ASA and want to back the athletes directly, they are welcome to do so."