McKenzie clarifies he will not refund Olympics winner Van Dyk due to ‘miscommunication’

Sport, arts and culture minister Gayton McKenzie has blamed “miscommunication” after backtracking on his public promise to reimburse Olympic silver medallist Jo-Ané van Dyk. 

Van Dyk, who won silver in the javelin, disclosed she had to rely mostly on her own funding and her parents for financial support in her preparations for the Games. 

McKenzie, at the time, vowed to reimburse the family for those costs. 

That plan, however, has not come to fruition. This was disclosed by the minister in reply to a question in parliament by DA MP Liam Jacobs last week. 

“The family of Van Dyk has not been reimbursed. After the 2024 Paris Olympics there have been further engagements with the parties and it emerged there was miscommunication on this matter,” McKenzie said. 

All athletes who participated in the Olympics received support from federations during the qualification period. McKenzie, though, did acknowledge Van Dyk was not included in the South African Olympic Committee’s (Sascoc) Bidvest Operation Excellence Programme (OpEx), which offered support to selected athletes in their Olympic preparations. 

“All athletes who participated at the 2024 Paris Olympics were supported by their federations through the qualification periods, for example, at the World Athletics Championships and Confederation of African Athletics Championships. All the costs, including allowances for participating at the 2024 Paris Olympics, were covered by Sascoc,” he said. 

“It is true Van Dyk was not part of the [OpEx] programme, which provides dedicated support to athletes in preparation for major competitions. These athletes are identified by their national federations based on their performances at the time of the call to be considered for [OpEx] and sometimes athletes who are excellent are missed, which can also be rectified later.”

McKenzie said Van Dyk would receive support for future competitions from Athletics South Africa (ASA) and Sascoc. 

“Van Dyk will continue to receive support to prepare and participate in major competitions through ASA and multi-coded major competitions through Sascoc.” 

At the Olympics, Van Dyk, reflecting on her journey, described it as “so very difficult”. 

“I have been supported by my parents because they believed in me and in the passion I have. It was difficult. It’s difficult when everybody else is moving on with their lives and earning salaries and I’m here, trying and still trying,” she said after wining her medal. 

McKenzie had said he would reimburse the Van Dyk family for their costs. 

“I spoke to Jo-Ane van Dyk,” McKenzie said as medallists Tatjana Smith, Bayanda Walaza and Bradley Nkoana were welcomed back from Paris at OR Tambo International Airport on August 13. “I am told her father put himself in debt [to help get her to the Games] and I commit publicly the department should give him his money back because that investment paid off.” 

TimesLIVE