SA 2014: Heupvuur vir Program 10

Erns Grundling

Tim Noakes (Hoof: Instituut vir Sportwetenskap) en Penny Heyns (Olimpiese swemkampioen) is twee van die gaste in eerskomende Sondag se SA 2014, wat om 20:00 op kykNET uitgesaai word. Die onderwerp wat bespreek sal word is "Sport".

Tim Noakes	Penny Heyns

LitNet het hulle met die volgende vrae gepeper:

1. Wat maak jou opgewonde oor sport in Suid-Afrika?

TN: That there is going to be a renewed emphasis on sports development in the schools - this comes from the Minister and also our work with companies like Discovery Health.

PH: Sport is a powerful tool as a nation builder. I believe we as South Africans are very talented in the sporting field and can take on the world and even be world beaters. We have proven this over the past few years and I believe we will achieve even greater heights in the future. 2. Wat bekommer jou oor sport in Suid-Afrika?

2. Wat bekommer jou oor sport in Suid-Afrika?

TN: Greed and personal ambition drive most of the agendas. There are few people who see the big picture and want to promote sport in the interests of the national good. From my point of view, very few understand the role of science in sport. They think if you appoint a doctor and a physiotherapist, then you are providing a science service. This is ignorance.

PH: Sadly there is still too much politics in sport and often talent is lost because of incompetent administrators.

3. Hoe belangrik is prestasies op die sportveld vir nasiebou?

TN: No more important than having a Nobel Prize winner or a Charlize Theron. It provides a feeling of feel good for a brief period. But if individuals have heroes from across the colour divide, then that is important, I think. White children having black sports heroes and vice versa seems to be a good thing to me. 3. Hoe belangrik is prestasies op die sportveld vir nasiebou?

PH: When we win on the world stage it not only brings recognition to our country but gives people of all colours a reason to stand together with pride as one. Few things have the power to surpass and cross race barriers as is the case with sport. 4. Wat behoort die regering se rol by sport in Suid-Afrika te wees? Hoe vaar die regering tans?

4. Wat behoort die regering se rol by sport in Suid-Afrika te wees? Hoe vaar die regering tans?

TN: Government should focus on sport at schools as their primary responsibility and on the promotion of sport for health. When they get involved in sporting performance at Olympic level, then there is a potential for abuse of what sport should be all about. Professional sport is about "work" as opposed to "play" and about required outcomes such as "winning". When winning becomes the primary focus, then the nature of sport is fundamentally distorted. It becomes about work and entertainment. Sport should be about play, in my view, and the professionals should get on with their sports and finding ways to sustain them commercially. I am not sure that it is the government's role to support sports that are fundamentally non-viable other than if that sport is providing other values by promoting sports participation and health and so on.

PH: They should play a supportive role but without interference. People who know the various sporting codes should be the decision-makers and selectors. Government should not prescribe to sporting bodies what to do and who to select. Selection should only be on merit. However, government should undertake to ensure a constant increase in the development of sport. 5. Maak Suid-Afrikaanse sportlui genoeg gebruik van die beskikbare tegnologie en wetenskaplike navorsing om hul prestasies op die sportveld te verbeter?

5. Maak Suid-Afrikaanse sportlui genoeg gebruik van die beskikbare tegnologie en wetenskaplike navorsing om hul prestasies op die sportveld te verbeter?

TN: No. Administrators and coaches are not well educated in the role that these things can play in improving sporting performances.

PH: I can only speak for swimming. I believe that they are trying; however, we lack adequate funding and frequent competition within SA. Our swimmers still need to go abroad in order to train and develop on a par with the rest of the world's best. Every year, however, some improvement is noted in terms of progress within SA. 6. Is daar iets aan 'n Suid-Afrikaanse sportman of -vrou wat hom/haar onderskei van deelnemers in ander lande?

6. Is daar iets aan 'n Suid-Afrikaanse sportman of -vrou wat hom/haar onderskei van deelnemers in ander lande?

TN: They are not able to use performance-enhancing drugs as easily as those in other countries, in part because of government policy and also because it is simply too expensive for most sportsmen and women in South Africa.

PH: No.

7. Dink jy Suid-Afrika sal ooit die Olimpiese Spele kan aanbied? Indien wel, wanneer en in watter stad?

TN: Absolutely not. The cost is escalating so rapidly that eventually it will require an entire year's GDP to run the Games. Sydney cost about $6 billion, Athens about $12 billion and it is estimated that Beijing will cost about $30 billion. Fortunately no South African city can cope with that cost. The cost of hosting the Games is no longer worth it.

PH: We should begin with hosting Commonwealth Games and the like, rather than the Olympics. We have other needs in the country that are more urgent and we cannot afford to host the Games - so far very few host countries have made a profit. 8. Hoe dink jy gaan Suid-Afrikaanse sport daarna uitsien in die jaar 2014?

8. Hoe dink jy gaan Suid-Afrikaanse sport daar uitsien in die jaar 2014?

TN: I doubt cricket will survive in its current format. There will be a great growth in physical activity for personal fitness and also in individual activities, whether they are called sports or not. Skateboarding and those types of sports will grow dramatically. Sporting nationalism is fading and so I suspect the Olympics will also progressively lose their appeal. More than that I would have to think about.

PH: At this point I have no idea. Hopefully we will be integrated and the demographics of the country will be represented.



LitNet: 3 September 2004

Wil jy reageer op hierdie artikel? Stuur kommentaar na webvoet@litnet.co.za om die gesprek verder te voer op SêNet, ons interaktiewe meningsruimte.

© Kopiereg in die ontwerp en inhoud van hierdie webruimte behoort aan LitNet, uitgesluit die kopiereg in bydraes wat berus by die outeurs wat sodanige bydraes verskaf. LitNet streef na die plasing van oorspronklike materiaal en na die oop en onbeperkte uitruil van idees en menings. Die menings van bydraers tot hierdie werftuiste is dus hul eie en weerspieël nie noodwendig die mening van die redaksie en bestuur van LitNet nie. LitNet kan ongelukkig ook nie waarborg dat hierdie diens ononderbroke of foutloos sal wees nie en gebruikers wat steun op inligting wat hier verskaf word, doen dit op hul eie risiko. Media24, M-Web, Ligitprops 3042 BK en die bestuur en redaksie van LitNet aanvaar derhalwe geen aanspreeklikheid vir enige regstreekse of onregstreekse verlies of skade wat uit sodanige bydraes of die verskaffing van hierdie diens spruit nie. LitNet is ’n onafhanklike joernaal op die Internet, en word as gesamentlike onderneming deur Ligitprops 3042 BK en Media24 bedryf.