It is indeed an honour for me to be speaking at an occasion such as this, where our sporting federations salute the men and women who have given there all, and made us proud.
It is without a doubt also an occasion to thank them for their tireless efforts in promoting athletics.
As government we see the realities all around us, of an environment filled with the immorality which our communities stare in the face on a daily basis.
Here ladies and gentlemen, sports plays an important role in combating this violence and evil, while at the same time promoting a healthy lifestyle and ensuring that especially our youth have a vice other than gangsterism, drugs and violence.
Far too often I encounter the realities of the struggles which our communities face on a daily basis.
But tonight ladies and gentlemen and honoured guests, we are here to honour the men and women who have succeeded despite the challenges of our daily lives, to be the best they can be in athletics, or as an athlete, a coach, a technical official or an administrator.
These individuals have been willing to make a contribution to the further development of athletics in specifically the Boland region. They have in some way or another, made a constructive contribution to towards the improvement of the standard of athletics in the area.
We need to ensure, as through the dedication and commitment that they and others have shown to the sport, we too make a concerted effort to ensuring that the lives of other potential athletes are improved in the same manner. We need to ensure that talent is identified, nurtured and more importantly sustained, so that the skills which we have learned can be passed on to future generations.
It is important for this particular knowledge to be passed on for generations to come. We need to make sure that the future of our youth is a successful one.
The opportunities which are now available to us, are much better than those a few months ago. You can not sustain a living through becoming a professional sportsman or woman.
Just look at what a young girl from the dusty streets of rural Limpopo has achieved. Through blatant hard work and perseverance she has taken the world by storm. This is nothing other than a God given talent which was nurtured and cared for. Ladies and gentlemen, despite the upheaval surrounding Caster Semenya, she has proven that anything is possible.
Take the time and sit back and evaluate your achievements to date, while never forgetting where you come from. We need to make sure that what we do and what we achieve makes us into role models for future generations. With this I would like to say, too often our children have no one to look up to athletics in its nature teaches us endurance and perseverance, which often drives us in life.
I would like to thank each and every one of you for what you have done for the world of athletics, and please make certain that you continue with what you have started. In this way only positives can emanate.
I thank you.
