The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) planned an induction workshop for the newly elected Athletes Commission which commenced on Friday, 30 April until Sunday, 02 May 2021.
The members of the Commission attended the session and they were hard at work to get an understanding of their roles and responsibilities as well as to develop a strategy for the commission during their tenure in this quadrennial (2021-2024.)
In attendance were; the President of SASCOC, Mr Barry Hendricks and the 1st Vice President of SASCOC, Ms Lwandile Simelane, who provided guidance to the Athletes Commission, one of the SASCOC Board Commissions. The President officially addressed the members and said this was historic to have such a session for the Athletes Commission. He encouraged them to become a voice of athletes aligned to athletes’ needs globally and to utilise sport as a vehicle for their dreams or destiny after sport. He also emphasised that the focus must also be on the development of women and people with disabilities.
The members were given an opportunity to identify the input they are bringing to the Commission as individuals, that will subsequently culminate to them working as a Team and finally having a clear strategy and plan in the next three years.
“The induction workshop was worth it as it managed to bring us together and allow us to share our knowledge and experiences towards a clear vision for the Commission,” said the Chairperson of the Athletes Commission, Mr Khotso Mokoena.
Going forward, the Commission will build a strong relationship with its members i.e. the athletes as they believe “for the athletes by athletes”. The vision will be to empower and support athletes by creating clear communication platforms that will promote athletes’ involvement and representation.
Ms Simelane, in closing, thanked all Athletes Commission members for being part of the session and urged them to action what was discussed and learned during the induction. The membership and its primary members being athletes are waiting eagerly to your engagement and interaction on the development and promotion of athletes. She also conveyed sincere gratitude to High Performance Centre for hosting SASCOC.