SAFSA calls for a wider lens on South African sport

Recent public discussion around governance in South African sport has highlighted the important role that accountability and transparency play in maintaining trust in sporting institutions. While such scrutiny is both necessary and welcome, the South African Figure Skating Association (SAFSA) believes it also presents an opportunity to broaden the national conversation about sport.

“I have no issue with the media reporting on what is happening in South African sport and holding federations accountable,” says SAFSA President Christo Viljoen. “I do, however, believe that the same scrutiny and exposure should extend to the many lesser-known sporting codes that receive little or no government funding, yet work hard to run professionally and achieve significant international results.”

Much of the country’s sports coverage understandably follows codes with large audiences, established commercial backing and regular national competition. Beyond those sports is a much wider landscape of athletes and volunteers working with considerably fewer resources, often while still representing South Africa internationally. Their achievements can easily pass unnoticed outside their own sporting communities.

“There are many inspiring stories of achievement against the odds that deserve to be told. If the media is committed to reflecting South African sport in all its diversity, that interest should extend beyond the country's largest and most commercially successful codes,” says Viljoen.

For smaller sporting communities, media coverage can make a real difference. It can introduce athletes and their achievements to new audiences while helping sponsors better understand the impact of their support on athlete development, international participation and long-term growth. It can also help grow participation by showing young South Africans that there are sporting opportunities beyond the codes they already know.

SAFSA believes governance and achievement should both form part of the national sporting conversation. Federations have a responsibility to operate transparently and accountably, irrespective of their size or funding. At the same time, the work taking place in less visible sports should not become noticeable only when something goes wrong.

Figure skating is one example of a sport in which athletes pursue international competition while operating within a relatively small local ecosystem. The federation relies heavily on people who give their time to administration, officiating and development, while athletes and their families carry high costs as they progress through the sport. The same reality exists across many smaller sporting communities in South Africa.

Viljoen says broader coverage would give the public a more complete picture of what is happening across the country’s sporting landscape.

“Accountability is important and federations should expect difficult questions when they are warranted. I would simply like to see the same curiosity applied when lesser-known sporting codes are developing athletes, achieving internationally and finding ways to progress despite limited resources,” he says.

For SAFSA, the conversation should ultimately be about seeing South African sport in its full breadth. That means examining governance when concerns arise, but also recognising the athletes, volunteers and sporting communities who continue to achieve, grow, and represent the country despite limited resources. Accountability matters. Achievement matters. Both deserve attention and both deserve to be told.