Plot thickens for besieged SA athletics chief

Omulo Okoth in South Africa

Athletics South Africa (ASA) chief, Leonard Chuene, is under siege.

Since the Caster Semenya saga turned into a circus, every South African who matters in the world of sports, including some who defended him, are looking for his head.

Now the heat has been upped, with announcement yesterday by NedBank of its sponsorship of road races across the Rainbow Nation.

Yellow Pages, another major sponsor, has put ASA on notice. They want to tighten the noose around Chuene’s neck after the strong-headed chairman of the association refused to resign after confessing to lying to the nation on the testing of the world 800m champion.

Should the two major companies pull out of athletics, and follow ABSA and Engen, sponsors who withdrew years back, athletics will go down on its knees.

Headed for worse

Chuene’s fate seems headed for the worse by each passing day after he told a tribunal that Semenya was never tested before the World Championships, only to turn around later to say she was indeed tested at the instigation of ASA and that they went to the championships knowing the circumstances.

Chuene defied a doctor’s advice to withdraw Semenya from the Worlds. He is now under a barrage of accusations, among them that he ordered that Kenyan athletes not be paid prize money after winning a popular road race relay in Port Elizabeth in 1996, citing regulations that were later found to be non-existent. The road race later lost its prestige after Kenyans turned down subsequent invitations.

Gauteng Province Athletics body has turned against Chuene, threatening action against its members who will defend the embattled ASA chief. Some members of the Gauteng body defended him, only to make an about-turn and say Chuene gave them wrong information.

It has turned out that Chuene arm twists ASA officials, most of whom he helped to get to their positions in the body by telling them: "If I go, you will also follow me."

There is even a race card at play. African National Congress Youth League President, Julius Malema told the Press at Luthuli House on Thursday that he would mobilise South Africans to boycott NedBank.

"We will expose them for what they are," he said.

 

 

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