South African Sports: The Horizon Ahead

By Rodney Omeokachie 22159347

With the conclusion of the London Olympics and Paralympics, it is safe to say that there are mixed feelings about South Africa's result. Some are disappointed at the low medal count (6 medals) in the able bodied Olympics, others are just happy they got any medals at all. The general consensus for the Paralympians is a lot more joyful as they bagged 29 medals. The question now is what next for South Africa. Do they remain content with their position or do they aim for the stars?

To be frank, SA did not have the smoothest of Olympic campaigns. From the Equestrian kerfuffle, to the criticisms of Caster Semenya's failure to pull in  gold medals, to Oscar Pistorius' unsportsmanlike behavior, SA has had a hard time living up to it's set expectations. I feel like South Africa need to reduce their expectations and enjoy their hard earned success.

Unlike other African countries, South Africa pulled its weight. Kenya and Ethiopia had the best chance of taking home the most medals at the Olympics. Their athletes were absolutely exceptional, their Olympic programs are very thorough and they dominate the long and middle distance events. South Africa's squad was the most in-depth going to the London Olympics and they improved upon their single medal in Beijing 2008. Oscar Pistorius brought good publicity to the team as he qualified for the 400m able-bodied Olympic events. 

South Africa, unlike other African countries has ties to almost every Olympic event which is very impressive. South Africa stood a chance in field hockey, shooting, swimming, track and field, bmx, rowing, canoeing, archery, cycling and fencing due their 130-athlete team . The projected amount of medals for South Africa was 12 according to Forbes.com. They managed 6 medals which is a step up from Beijing's 1 silver medal.

South Africans have a lot to be proud of in Pistorius and Semenya as they are proof of one's ability to succeed with the odds against them. From Pistorius' blade advantage issue to Semenya's gender examinations, SA has managed to give South Africans something to smile about.

So now the question remains, what's next for South Africa? History has shown that money wins medals so I would advise that they pump in some funds to keep up with the emerging trends in strength. If they continue the way they are, they might experience exponential growth in medals. Unfortunately, when it comes to Sport, it's not a numbers' game. They also need to reduce the impact of politics in decision making when it comes to sport.  South Africa's support system needs to really improve. In comparison to other countries, South Africa is miles behind in terms of support of its athletes. 

Finally, I would like to Salute the team as a whole: while SA was the top African nation on the medal log, the total number of medals won was carried by Ethiopia and Kenya.
The difference between those countries and South Africa is that Kenya and Ethiopia compete only in Athletics, while South Africa has competent competitors in a far wider selection of sports. This is worthy of note and maybe in the future those Sports will reap some fruit for the country