Sascoc engages national federations on urgent funding crisis

The South African Sports Confederation, Olympic and Paralympic Committee (Sascoc) recently convened an emergency meeting with National Federations to address the unexpected reduction in sport funding allocations by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC).

Sascoc President, Barry Hendricks, confirmed that the organisation had already initiated discussions with DSAC to seek clarity on the grant cuts affecting both National Federations and Sascoc’s own operations.

Following these engagements, Sascoc brought together National Federations to gather insights, assess the implications of the funding cuts and determine a strategic, united response to the unfolding financial crisis (that will derail the current upward performance trajectory of all the SA teams and individual athletes). The primary aim of the meeting was to forge a collaborative pathway forward to safeguard the sustainability of sport across all codes from grass root development to High Performance levels.

To this end, Hendricks announced that a strategic task team will be established.

This team will lead engagements with Minister Gayton Mckenzie, key stakeholders and advocate for the necessary support to protect the interests of athletes, federations and the broader South African sporting community.

“Sascoc remains committed to finding practical solutions to ensure that the sport sector is not destabilised by these cuts. Further updates will be provided in due course,” concluded Hendricks.