Academy
30 March 2006
Mr Thomas Manoko,
Mr Stanley Itshegetseng,
Dr Gerhard Jordaan,
Mr Andrew Wilson,
Colleagues representing Gauteng Athletics,
Colleagues from provincial government,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Young athletes,
Members of the media,
It is a great pleasure for me to be here with you this morning at the launch
of the Gauteng Athletics Academy. I am particularly pleased that we are
gathered here today so soon after South Africa scored its highest tally of gold
medals ever at the Commonwealth Games in Australia.
In this regard I think itâs important to mention Bongani Mwelase who won
gold for boxing, Jackson Chauke who won silver for boxing, Susan van Biljon who
won bronze in 200 metre breaststroke and Lize-Mari Retief who won bronze in 50
metre butterfly. Each of these young men and women are former graduates from
the Gauteng Governmentâs High Performance Development (GGHPD) programme.
The achievements of the South African team in Melbourne bear witness to the
significant sporting talent we have in our country and the important role high
performance development plays in successful international competition. In this
regard the provincial government welcomes the launch of the Gauteng Athletics
Academy (GAA) as an important contribution to building high performance
athletes in our province.
As most of you know the Gauteng Provincial Government has committed itself
to building this province as a home of competitive sport and has identified
athletics as one of the seven priority sporting codes for government support.
In practical terms what this means is that government is willing to partner
with Gauteng Athletics to promote competitive events within the province
already this year we hosted series two of the National Athletics Track and
Field Programme (NATFP) and the provincial championships inclusive of the three
Athletics South Africa (ASA) structures.
Latter this year the Gauteng provincial government is partnering ASA and the
African Athletics Grand Prix (AAGP). We are also building the city to city
marathon as a premier event on the athletics calendar.
For this partnership to build competitive athletics it is important that
provincial government also commit itself to the identification and development
of young talented athletes. While we can be proud of our commonwealth team, we
have to agree that many aspirant athletes never have the opportunity to
demonstrate their potential. Others whose potential is identified early on
often drop out of development programmes owing to their social
circumstances.
To overcome these challenges provincial government is putting in place a
mass participation programme in historically disadvantaged areas. Athletics is
one of the codes that have been identified for inclusion in this programme and
we urge the Gauteng Athletics federations to tailor their talent spotting and
development activities to these geographic areas.
Where talented young athletes are identified we will work together with the
federation to ensure a systematic development pathways are created, which can
lead to this new academy. Provincial government currently offers academic
tuition as well as social and scientific support to ensure talented youngsters
are able to sustain their progress in the high performance stream.
To the young people that are here today: âtoday you take your first step
towards achieving gold in the home of champions. Itâs not an easy path you have
chosen and I know you are already aware of its challenges. Remember that hard
work and dedication will bring rewards. Good luck in your future athletic
career!â
Issued by: Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Gauteng
Provincial Government
30 March 2006
