Olympic silver medallist Hezekiel Sepeng is determined to participate in the Athens Olympics this year. But it might take legal action to get him there.
In the wake of the announcement that he has not been included in the provisional athletics team to compete at the Olympics in August, the 800m runner and his coach, Jean Verster, have enlisted the services of a sports attorney, Elliot Wood.
Athletics South Africa (ASA) announced on Tuesday that, despite having achieved the qualifying time to compete in Athens, Sepeng had not fulfilled other selection criteria and would therefore not be considered for the Olympic team.
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Wood said he had been in lengthy discussions with Sepeng and Verster and that a meeting would be set up with ASA to resolve the issue.
The former world student champion was in a similar situation just before last year's World Championships in Paris, but was let off with a warning on that occasion.
"Hezekiel and his coach believe that they complied with the criteria," said Wood.
Asked whether this could develop into a legal issue, he stated: "I don't want to speculate on that. We'll address that when it arises but we are hoping to resolve this before that happens."
Wood pointed out that Sepeng had loyally represented the country for the past decade and deserved a spot on the team.
"He should be at the Olympics and I'll be doing everything I can to get him there," he said.
- This article was originally published on page 1 of The Star on May 05, 2004
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