SA athletes dealt a blow over Games qualification

14 February 2016 - 02:00 By David Isaacson

Play like frivolous gods on Mount Olympus, sports administrators have dealt a late hammer blow to local athletes aiming for the Rio Games. Playing like frivolous gods on Mount Olympus, sports administrators have dealt a late hammer blow to local athletes aiming for the Rio Games.Athletics SA (ASA) and the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) signed an updated qualifying agreement this week, ASA president Aleck Skhosana said. Now it's even more difficult to get to the August 6-21 showpiece.story_article_left1SA's top marathon runners - Mapaseka Makhanya, sisters Rene and Christine Kalmer and Lusapho April - must now compete at the SA marathon championships in East London on Saturday to be eligible for selection.ASA issued a circular to that effect on Friday, four days after entries for the race had closed.The 42.2km event was a gruelling race that required months of preparation, a leading coach commented.The first qualification agreement between ASA and Sascoc appeared to exempt the marathon: "All athletes (excluding combined events, marathon and race walk) will be required to prove their level of readiness at the Olympic selection trials which will be the ASA 2016 national championships."Track and field athletes are also not safe.ASA decreed that "depending on invitations, participation [in] at least two of the scheduled ASA night series meetings will be a prerequisite for selection".Skhosana, however, denied this was a selection criterion.The four-meet series has yet to be confirmed.Another coach was also bemused: "Every athlete in the world knew their Olympic preparation schedule a year in advance. In South Africa we change it six months before the Games...

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