KZN Athletics considering steps to stop annual Big Walk, including court action

12 June 2023 - 15:56
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KwaZulu-Natal Athletics has deemed East Coast Radio's Big Walk on June 18, as illegal because it has not been sanctioned by the body.
KwaZulu-Natal Athletics has deemed East Coast Radio's Big Walk on June 18, as illegal because it has not been sanctioned by the body.
Image: via Twitter

KwaZulu-Natal Athletics (KZNA) says it will decide within the next few days whether it will go to court to stop East Coast Radio’s Big Walk event, which the body has deemed “illegal”.

KZNA claims the event, which has been in existence for about 19 years, has for a long time been “hosted and organised outside its parameters”. 

The body urged its members not be part of the Big Walk and warned the public that it is unable to guarantee the safety of the athletes or participants on the day because it has not sanctioned the event.

KZNA raised concerns about the availability of insurance should there be serious incidents.

The Big Walk sees participants choosing a 5km or 10km route which starts at uShaka Marine World, along the beachfront and ends at People’s Park.

KZNA vice-president Mandla Mngomezulu said on Monday as the “purported event” falls within the definition of athletics, the Big Walk should be sanctioned by the body.

According to World Athletics, “athletics” is defined to include track and field, road running, race walking, cross country, trail running and mountain running.

TimesLIVE reached out to East Coast Radio’s MD Boni Mchunu and is awaiting a response to questions.

She told media at the weekend that the Big Walk is not athletic or competitive, but a family event. It was not regarded as competitive because it is not timed and the results can’t be used as a race qualifier.

Mchunu claimed that a KZNA representative did not attend a meeting arranged in March between the body and the organisers to discuss issues of compliance. She further claimed KZNA wanted a large amount of fees to be paid to them. She said this is not required as the event does not need to be sanctioned as it is not competitive in nature.

Mchunu added that the organisers have a public liability insurance in place.

Mngomezulu said: “Every athletics event organised must pay a levy to KZNA, which is ploughed back to the sport. The levy is 10% of the total amount made from entry fees. I am not sure what constitutes a 'significant amount of fees' which East Coast Radio refers to.”

“Athletics events need to be formalised to be a legal event. Unfortunately with the Big Walk, we can’t say it's legal because the organisers have failed to follow the rules of a controlling body. It is for that reason we are advising our members and the community at large that this event has not been sanctioned by us.

“To maintain the integrity of the sport, you need structures in place to organise events within the prescribed rules.

“We are not fighting anyone; we want to implement necessary rules to protect the sport. Because they are not our members, the only options we have is to inform the public and approach a court of law. We are weighing our options. If the structure believes that going to court is an option, we reserve our right to do so.

“We should know the way forward by tomorrow, whether our notice to the public will suffice or if we will go to court.”

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