SASCOC to query Olympic Lotto funding

[Helpmytrap]

The National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF) is to be asked to explain its decision to cut back funding for Olympic athletes.

 

Gideon Sam, President of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) believes the decrease in financial support will impact the organisation negatively.

 

Sam says Sascoc will approach the NLDTF through its Chairman, Prof Alfred Nevhutanda, and ask to address the National Lotteries Board in order to seek an explanation for the organisation’s rationale.

 

Sam says Sascoc has been working with most of its member federations to help them embark on development programmes. The NLDTF’s proposed funding structure which will see each federation receiving only R2 million will not help the body prepare for the next Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, he insists

 

“The improved results by South African athletes at the London Olympics are a testament of how good planning pays dividends.

“Setting up training camps and enabling athletes and coaches to focus on their discipline is important. Had we not done this, probably Chad Le Clos and Cameron van den Burgh would have struggled in London.

 

“The funding helped them travel and participate at major swimming events leading to the games,” said Sam.

Another federation that benefited from the funding was rowing and the results were there for everyone to see.

 

Sascoc says its plans are to focus on athletics, swimming and cycling as these codes are crucial to an effort to bring more medals.

 

However, athletics is in dire straits, he said, and needs to be assisted in a big way.

 

“This is a federation that Sascoc depends on for medals.”

 

Sascoc has been hard at work establishing provincial coaching commissions. Sam says the structure will be taken down to the regions and eventually to schools which he hopes will become centres of excellence.

 

Schools, he adds, will also help Sascoc and its federation encourage mass participation and increase the pool of athletes to choose from.

 

The body is also working on getting provincial sports and recreation MEC’s to be part of the drive to encourage participation.

Sascoc has been in contact with universities, particularly those with High Performance Centres, to get them to help in this initiative. The Olympic body said it is also working on a model to introduce national coaches for all codes.

 

“What we discovered in London was that there was no accountability in terms of codes having someone to drive their programmes and set standards to be achieved. We believe it is imperative that we start this programme.

 

“This will allow for intense monitoring of athletes and the provision of critical inputs. We have also learned that sometimes the interventions needed are not only of a sporting nature but social.

 

“Some of the most successful countries have employed this is system for a while now,” says Sam.

Sascoc is keen to ensure that leading up to the next Olympics, it creates a camp in Europe to enable athletes to operate from there.

 

Sam says it is difficult for athletes competing in Europe to be travelling from Europe to home and vice versa in order to compete.

 

He does not see this as onerous as South Africa can use some of the bilateral agreements it has with European countries to enable Sascoc to achieve this.

 

“South Africa normally hosts international athletes who are in base training anyway,” he adds.

 

http://www.bicycling...lotto-fundiing/

Edited November 7, 2012 by Helpmytrap

[Icycling]

While I was on the PPA committee earlier this year we had CSA and and a representatives of SASCOC meet with us at 1 of our monthly meeting - this was about PPA falling out of bed with CSA.

 

But 1 thing which the SASCOC representative repeated on more than 1 occasion was when you put on your National kit you are representing 50 million South Africans. This statement made me think - well what amount of SARS revenue ends up at CSA for argument sake - the answer was nothing. Considering anybody - even the kid buying a toy - pays VAT i.e. revenue collection for SARS / national treasury, then all consumers are tax payers and from day 1 be it nap-pies you are a consumer and thus SARS gets some benefit - if SARS then were funding South African sports people - then you would be representing 50 million - correct? But it does not - Lotto funding does and thus you are representing those who play Lotto - right?

 

Recently as a RSA tax payer I was selected to ride at world champs in the 39 to 44 cat and even won some races. For this honor (no I am not having a dig at CSA) I got to BUY even my own skin suit (by the way had the Lotto branding on it), along with paying for my own air ticket, hotel and car hire (and they wonder why cycling is an elitist sport)! Not to mention the time spent training to compete at the highest level. Really should I not get a tax refund for this? SARS has more or less covered every loop hole in the system so sports expenses cannot be tax deductible - yet for argument sake when the Rugby team win the world cup the whole moral of the country improves and no doubt as a by product people work better and spend more all contributing to SARS revenue collection.

 

So as an (tax paying) individual who has been selected represent your country in your national kit and then even go and win some events why should that individual have to carry "all" ( I got an international CSA license for free and for most of the riders CSA paid their insurance in case of an accident at the event) the costs/risk? Surely SARS should offer individual representing their country in sport a tax concession and possibly a full refund on their personnel tax for the years they compete for their country i.e. just not taking money from that individual - what ever the amount may be! Even in the most Capitalist country like the USA you will received 1 million dollars for winning a medal at the Olympics - I been told! I a not sure what RSA is socialist or capitalist - but surely SARS should come to the party for sports people representing their country?

Edited November 7, 2012 by Icycling