Defiant Sascoc boss defends Team SA's much vilified Chinese-based kit sponsor

24 August 2016 - 15:09 By Chumani Bambani

The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee’s (Sascoc) have come out in defence of the much criticised kit worn by Team South Africa at the recently concluded Olympic Games in Brazil. After initially refusing to be drawn into the furious debate over what some have described as the worst apparel ever donned by an SA team at the Olympic Games‚ Sascoc president Gideon Sam came to the defence of the Chinese-based kit sponsor‚ 361-Degrees.“I don’t want to talk about the tracksuits‚” Sam initially said.Taxman to take its cut of Mbalula’s bonsela to Olympic medallistsThe prize money South African Olympic medallists have received will be taxed‚ the South African Revenue Service (Sars) says. “In terms of the colour [of the kit]‚ that we can talk about.”Sam said that if the critics wanted the kit to change‚ then they would have to better the monetary injection that 361-Degrees is ploughing into Team SA.“In terms of who is responsible for it‚ [it is] the person with the money‚” Sam told Times Media.“It started off with Erke (at the 2012 Olympics) and now it is 361-Degrees‚ and they have got the money. “If you have got R25 million are you going to allow someone else to dictate to you? You won’t! It’s your money‚ nobody can dictate how they should do it‚ its their money.“Erke started off by saying ‘guys nobody wants to help you in your country‚ come to us‚ here’s R20-million and we will give it to every team that you put on the field’.” Sam said he has noted the concerns from the public around the kit and he has discussed the issue with Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula.The conclusion from their talk was that in future the colour and the cut of the tracksuits would need to be discussed with all the stakeholders.The contract with 361-Degrees runs until the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo‚“The issue that we have agreed on with the minister is that maybe we need to look at the cut and colour of the tracksuit‚” said Sam.“It’s a four-year cycle. Anybody that wants to come forward now must say ‘I have more than R25-million let me sponsor you’. Then they can decide even where they want to get the tracksuit cut and where they want to get it manufactured. If they decide it must be with Sactwu (the SA Clothing and Textile Workers Union) in Cape Town‚ then it will be.“But you know‚ South Africans must understand it is not their money‚ it is the sponsors' (money). You can see all over the world there is a lot of 361-degrees now because those Chinese guys are not scared to put their money on the table.” The Sascoc president denied that any of the SA athletes voiced dissatisfaction with the kit during the Games in Rio.“The cut may not have been that good‚ but none of the athletes came to us – maybe they were scared to come to us and say ‘I don’t like this colour’‚” he said.“I will agree that maybe in future we must stick to this [current colour]. But yes‚ it is something that we will address in the cycle that we are going into.”On Wednesday SA’s javelin silver medallist Sunette Viljoen expressed her discontent on Twitter.“If you train 6 days a week for four long years and then eagerly open your Olympic kit only to be let down so bad… it’s heartbreaking.” the Outspoken Viljoen tweeted.Viljoen also revealed that no measurements were taken on the athletes ahead of going to Brazil and as a result she had to fork out money from her own pocket to alter the kit.She tweeted: “Had to pay out of my own pocket for my Olympic kit to be adjusted by a tailor‚ because sizes were not taken.”- TMG Digital..

There’s never been a more important time to support independent media.

From World War 1 to present-day cosmopolitan South Africa and beyond, the Sunday Times has been a pillar in covering the stories that matter to you.

For just R80 you can become a premium member (digital access) and support a publication that has played an important political and social role in South Africa for over a century of Sundays. You can cancel anytime.

Already subscribed? Sign in below.



Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@timeslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.