As a candidate bidding to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games, South Africa cannot lose; Durban is the only city in the race! Citing the expensive bill for the games, Canadian city of Edmonton was the last rival to withdraw its candidature.
However as far as the public opinion is concerned, South Africa is already on the ropes defending its decision to support the bid to host the world event.
Many South Africans are of the opinion that our government is obsessed with hosting international events. Our economy is in its worst shape, and people are concerned that politicians and their friends in business are the only people who benefit from these events, while the rich-poor gap in South Africa continues to widen at an alarming rate.
I agree with most opposing arguments. However, for me the most urgent matter as far as sport in South Africa is concerned, is the need to open up the the playing ground. Many children growing up in South Africa today do not play any sport, let alone the Olympic codes which the Commonwealth Games are about.
Most South African kids grow up without exposure to uncomplicated sports such as table tennis or volleyball, not because we lack the resources to make sure the children and youth have access to these sports in their community.
At the heart of this dearth of the Olympic culture is the absence of the political will to drive mass participation in sport. The problem is especially worse in poor areas where fancy lifestyles driven by popular cultures and and narcissism are what attracts the youth; basically young people are not inspired to sweat it out practising judo, taekwondo, shot put, long jump, running, etc.
It is a calamity that in a free South Africa children have no access to sport, except those living or going to school in upmarket suburbs.
But even more shocking is the inaction of communities, local leaders and political leadership both at all levels up to the cabinet. What kind of strategy or money we need to make sure every school and community hall has a set or two of table tennis equipment? If we cannot afford table tennis and volleyball, why do we waste time talking about swimming and golf in poor areas?
Additional trouble for my soul is that options for black girls have been drastically reduced. Communities have become so hostile that it is practically impossible for a girl to practice sports, or even jog in her neighbourhood. Prospects for girls are dim even at the school grounds after school; that erstwhile safe environment has become hostile and dangerous.
Furthermore, teachers in black communities no longer care to volunteer their time to coach or supervise pupils as they practice sport on school grounds.
Talking about grounds, in my home town of Tembisa some of the sports fields we played on or watched sport at when I was a kid there in the 1980s have been overrun or taken away by other activities, including churches. This has drastically undercut South Africa's Olympic potential; how do we expect to produce athletes of international esteem under such conditions?
In their bid portfolio, the Durban committee lists the ICC as the competition venue for badminton, boxing, judo, weightlifting and wrestling. Except for badminton, the other sports codes mentioned here were regularly practised by youth at Rabasotho Hall and Tsepo Hall in Tembisa during my childhood. While Rabasotho Hall still stands today, Tsepo Hall had become a ZCC compound for the past 20 years. Ground No 9, the soccer field closest to my neighbourhood at Mashemong Section, is now exclusively used by the church of Pastor Solly Mahlangu, who is also an award-winning gospel music singer.
The Durban Exhibition Centre is listed as the venue for table tennis and netball. Again, these codes are the simplest to have in abundance in communities because of their very low cost of maintenance. However, since the dawn of democracy, these two sports have had a diminished presence in Tembisa. And that has got nothing to do with shortage of money. If girls cannot practice table tennis and netball, how do we go to sleep without agonising over interventions for this unpalatable state of affairs?
I saw the enthusiasm in Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula when he led the Durban bid committee as it formally lodged the bid with the ICC in London earlier this week. He spoke about how the Glasgow Commonwealth Games last year boosted Scotland's stature in international sport by producing medal-winning athletes. Mbalula predicts Durban 2022 will do the same for South African sport.
I beg to oppose you sir; in the run-up to Glasgow 2014, Scotland's young people had long enjoyed uninterrupted access to Olympic sports in their communities; evidence for this are competition records from local, regional to national levels.
Tembisa and Ivory Park combined have an estimated population of 1 million people. How come in the past year this massive human resource never organised local championship for table tennis, netball, judo, track and field or volleyball?
This is where we should pause and ponder: do we need to host another expensive international sports event or do we need to open up the playing fields and make sure children go out to enjoy regular practice and competition in various sports codes?
I choose the latter.
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