Sports body exits Sascoc

University Sports SA has walked out of the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) to ensure that their athletes compete in the World Student Games, which start in Russia on Saturday.

That was the only way that USSA could sidestep the ban on selecting athletes imposed by Sascoc.

Sascoc suspended Athletics SA last weekend, saying no athletes could be selected for multi-sport events until the suspension is lifted. USSA are not full members of Sascoc, but, even as secondary associate members, they were bound by that decision.

At a meeting on Friday night they agreed to withdraw from Sascoc to get their athletes to Russia.

"We didn't feel it was responsible for USSA to let athletes suffer at the last moment because of what is happening in sports administration," USSA president Prof Tyrone Pretoria said yesterday.

Athletes who will represent SA in Kazan feature Anaso Jobodwana, a 200m finalist at the 2012 London Games, Olympic marathon runner Stephen Mokoka, javelin thrower Robert Oosthuizen and 400m hurdler Anneri Ebersohn.

Sport minister Fikile Mbalula showed his support for the USSA breakaway. Mbalula attended a farewell breakfast for the team in Johannesburg yesterday.

"The shenanigans in the board room - don't worry about that," he told them. "We'll resolve that.

Mbalula warned that USSA's walk-out could spark more breakaways. "This is the tip of the iceberg," he told Times Media.

"This is what will happen if we don't resolve the issue of ASA."

Mbalula is scheduled to meet ASA president James Evans today.

The minister will meet the Sascoc board later in the week. He said he supported the USSA walkout because "it's to ensure that athletes participate".

Sascoc president Gideon Sam said USSA were "within their rights" to withdraw.