The East Coast Radio Big Walk, an annual fun walk held in Durban, went ahead on Sunday despite KwaZulu-Natal Athletics (KZNA) declaring it illegal.
KZNA, which governs athletics in the province, had threatened to seek legal action to stop the 19-year-old event because it had not sanctioned it.
KZNA claimed the event had for a long time been “hosted and organised outside its parameters”.
The body urged its members not to take part in the Big Walk and warned the public it was unable to guarantee the safety of the athletes or participants because it had not sanctioned the event.
It 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 earlier in the week as the “purported event” falls within the definition of athletics, the Big Walk should be sanctioned by the body.
The body at the time was deliberating on whether to take legal action, but did not approach the courts.
But East Coast Radio did not back down, with its CEO Boni Mchunu saying the event didn't “require sanctioning from KZN Athletics since it is not a timed, athletic or competitive event”.
“The results cannot be used as a qualifier for any race.
“Additionally, each year, we ensure compliance by fulfilling all logistics requirements through meetings with the city.”
In reaction to the event going ahead on Sunday, Mchunu told TimesLIVE: “It has always been our wish that the event should go ahead. The differences are centred around compliance with the athletics rules.
“We will continue to endeavour to have negotiations with the organisers to find one another going forward. We have not lost hope that we will be able to meet and iron out our differences.”
TimesLIVE
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Big Walk goes ahead despite KZN Athletics deeming it 'illegal'
Image: East Coast Radio via Facebook
The East Coast Radio Big Walk, an annual fun walk held in Durban, went ahead on Sunday despite KwaZulu-Natal Athletics (KZNA) declaring it illegal.
KZNA, which governs athletics in the province, had threatened to seek legal action to stop the 19-year-old event because it had not sanctioned it.
KZNA claimed the event had for a long time been “hosted and organised outside its parameters”.
The body urged its members not to take part in the Big Walk and warned the public it was unable to guarantee the safety of the athletes or participants because it had not sanctioned the event.
It 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 earlier in the week as the “purported event” falls within the definition of athletics, the Big Walk should be sanctioned by the body.
The body at the time was deliberating on whether to take legal action, but did not approach the courts.
But East Coast Radio did not back down, with its CEO Boni Mchunu saying the event didn't “require sanctioning from KZN Athletics since it is not a timed, athletic or competitive event”.
“The results cannot be used as a qualifier for any race.
“Additionally, each year, we ensure compliance by fulfilling all logistics requirements through meetings with the city.”
In reaction to the event going ahead on Sunday, Mchunu told TimesLIVE: “It has always been our wish that the event should go ahead. The differences are centred around compliance with the athletics rules.
“We will continue to endeavour to have negotiations with the organisers to find one another going forward. We have not lost hope that we will be able to meet and iron out our differences.”
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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