SA athletes to bring back medals from Rio Olympics – Skhosana
JOBURG - Athletics South Africa (ASA) president Aleck Skhosana is convinced the country's national team that will be going to the Rio Olympics later this year will bring back medals.
He was briefing the media at Athletics House in Rosebank about the 2016 athletics season on the ASA calendar. He said the current ASA calendar covered events stretching up to October, and in line with this calendar, 44 athletes will represent the country at the Confederation of African Athletics Cross Country Championships at Yaounde in Cameroon, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Indoor Championships at Portland in USA and the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships at Cardiff in Wales.
Twenty-four of these athletes will compete at the African championships in Cameroon on 12 March in the Senior Women 10km, Junior Women 6km, Senior Men 10km and Junior Men 8km races.
Ten athletes have been selected for the IAAF World Indoor Championships on 17 to 20 March in Portland. This men’s only team will compete in the long jump, 60m hurdles, heptathlon and the 4x400m relay.
A team of 10 athletes consisting of five men and five women will compete at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Cardiff on 26 March.
Skhosana said the final team to be announced by the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee to compete at the Rio Olympic Games from 5 to 21 August will be submitted on 29 June.
“I am confident the team that will travel to Rio will no doubt make us proud and will bring back home some medals, especially after we raised the bar in the selection criteria in order to ensure that we field the strongest possible team,” Skhosana said.
Details: Aleck Skhosana 072 014 7660; 083 789 8877.
