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Fond memories of an Olympic moment

Big time. . . Josia Thugwane celebrates with the SA flag after winning the marathon in 1996 Atlanta Olympics. With him is second placed Lee Bong-Ju from Korea.
So far so good for the London Olympics, despite the slightly sour bit earlier on about certain events taking place in front of empty seats. The records are tumbling down everywhere, and from the South African point of view, swimming is providing the best cheer in the opening week.
Despite the hustle and bustle of London, my thoughts are in Peterborough, 140km north of the capital. Though the medium size city has its attractions, and a rich history, Peterborough is hardly in the news. It is not in the news now as the games surge ahead, though other England cities have been drafted in to host certain events.
However one of my lasting memories of the Olympic Games is embedded in this city on the banks of the gentle River Nene. One day in 1996, when I was a sports reporter, I happened to be waiting at a bus station outside the Peterborough train station. I had just arrived there by train from London, and was still dizzy from the strange sights and smells, and the effects of a 14-hour flight from Johannesburg. I was there to cover a world U15 cricket championships.
Also waiting at the quiet bus stop was a guitarist who perfectly fitted the description of a drifter. He struck up a friendly conversation, and after I had opened my mouth for my first words, he said: “Aha, are you South African?” I said yes, and he became animated with excitement and I just thought it was the Mandela thing, as he was still the President.
I was wrong. The drifter was raving about a historical sporting moment for South Africa, to which I was totally oblivious. “Your man has won the marathon. Your man has won the marathon!” I got a hug and a handshake from the joyous guitar man.
I still did not know what he was talking about. Apart from the jet lag, this was before google and facebook in cellphones, so I was in the dark in a foreign country despite the pleasant sunny weather that day. The drifter’s bus arrived before mine and later mine showed up too. After I had settled into my hotel room in the village of Oundle, up the River Nene in Northamptonshire, I switched on the TV. And there it was. . .
A sports news bulletin was showing Josia Thugwana winning the marathon championship at the Atlanta Olympics! The excitement of the drifter enveloped me, a good three hours later. I jumped up and down to celebrate, even though Thugwana’s historical moment had happened 10 hours earlier!
That’s the magic of the Olympics, putting unknowns and underdogs on the world stage. Not long before his moment Thugwana, a former herdboy with minimal education, was eking out a tough living on the Mpumalanga Highveld coal mine ridges. Here he is now, being watched by millions around the world in his moment of triumph.
There are more like Thugwana in this current Olympiad, whose lives are going to change for the best after London. Despite the big team we have sent to the Olympics this year, I wish more emphasis would be put into developing so called minor sports in future. As I am writing this blog, table tennis is on and I just wonder aloud: “What prevents a well-resourced country to promote this simple to manage sport in the marginalized areas of South Africa?”
Needless to say, we don’t have anyone representing us in table tennis in London. Even worse, I don’t remember any news about national championship in South Africa in the past five years.
Apart from table tennis, there are other Olympic sports such as handball, volleyball and judo we should be helping to develop. The gist of my argument is that mass participation in sport in South Africa could be secured by promoting the “minor” codes.  Money has been the main factor behind the receding fortunes of these sports in South Africa. This issue needs to be carefully addressed because in all fairness, our downfall is in planning not in desperate shortage of funds.
Team SA in London is largely made up of athletes from elite sports. However, the true philosophy of the Olympics is to promote mass participation at home level, before deserving sportsmen and women qualify to compete at the Olympics. I submit, our athletes deserve to be there as the qualifying criteria they have met were very difficult.
My plea though is that let us see participants in what is called Cinderella sports as well.

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