South African’s Olympic governing body SASCOC on Friday played down reports calling for Athletics South Africa to hold “immediate elections” for a new board to run the sport.
This in response to the South African Athletes’ Commission (SAAC) statement calling for SASCOC to remove the interim board and for a permanent ASA executive to be elected.
SASCOC board member and veteran sports administrator Ray Mali and an interim board has been running the affairs of Athletics South Africa since November after the suspension of ASA president Leonard Chuene and other employees over the handling of the Caster Semenya affair. A forensic audit of ASA was also commissioned.
Mali was initially appointed for six-months but his tenure has been extended until disciniplary hearings are completed.
SASCOC president Gideon Sam on Friday said: “The democratic processes with ASA must be respected.
“It was not SASCOC who decided to postpone the elections, but ASA’s regions. These same regions must overturn that decision if a majority vote that way.”