Sascoc hurt by Viljoen's sharp barbs

18 September 2015 - 02:09 By David Isaacson

Sunette Viljoen has received R815000 over the past three years, the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee has said in retaliation to the javelin star's criticism of its Operation Excellence programme. In a statement Sascoc called Viljoen - who won bronze at the recent world championships in Beijing - disingenuous, and accused her of being "neither sincere nor truthful".While Sascoc suggested Viljoen had contravened her Opex contract, the body did not say if there would be disciplinary action.Viljoen wrote in a newspaper column that Opex was a "pretty name for a big hullabaloo over bugger all" and warned that Sascoc would not achieve its ambitious medals target of 10 at the 2016 Rio Olympics.She complained that she had to wait at least 14 days to be reimbursed her expenses, and that there was no funding for medical expenses once her aid limit was reached.Sascoc said it was surprised and disappointed by Viljoen's statements, adding she should have approached the body directly with any complaints.Sascoc said Opex athletes received varying degrees of support, such as monthly stipends for food and accommodation, medical aid, training camps, travel to competition, scientific testing, equipment purchase, technological support, psychology and a fund for medical emergencies and treatment."Viljoen is disingenuous when she falsely claims that athletes are afraid to speak out for fear of victimisation or withdrawal of Opex funding."Since October 2012 up until September 2015 Viljoen has received funding for R815514, which makes her the sixth-largest recipient of funds from Sascoc," the body said.Viljoen was not available for comment yesterday...

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