By George Koertzen
Sam Ramsamy, president of the National Olympic Council of South Africa (Nocsa), neatly side-stepped any potential fall-out following the lack of achievement of the South African athletics team at the World Championships in Edmonton, Canada.
Speaking at a farewell function on Sunday for the first SA multi-sport team to compete in the sixth World Games in Akita, Japan, from August 16-26, he said: "I am still trying to get the knives out of my back from the last time around."
On the composition of the multi-sport team, he said: "We do not interfere with the autonomy of the team. However, we will take charge of the team after the Commonwealth Games."
Chairman of the government's Sports Commission, Joe Phaala, also hinted at the reasons behind the lack of achievement from the national team in Canada. "We are struggling to make our mark on the international stage. We need to invest more in our athletes," he said.
The games feature sports that are outside the normal Olympic code and include billiards, dance sport, rhythmic gymnastics, karate, basketball, lifesaving, orienteering, rollerskating, casting, tug-o-war waterskiing and rugby.
Teams:
Billiards: Dino Nair
Casting: Hennie Papenfuss
Dance Sport: Craig Messina and Denia Damonze, Rafick Hoosain and Janine Roach
Rhythmic Gymnastics: Belinda Potgieter
Karate: Karin Prinsloo
Lifesaving: Stacey Bowley, Waleed Damon, Jenna Worlock, Ryan Butcher, Candice Crafford, Mathew Bouman, Graeme Willcox, Gary Kurth, Bronwyn Baumgart and Tracy Martheze
Tug-O-War: Maryke Barnard, Wanda Jonck, Mariette Le Roux, Elizabeth Letsholo, Jeanette Nortje, Johanna Stofberg, Marie Stofberg, Wilma Swanepoel, Twane Terblanche, Denise van Zyl
Tumbling: Tseko Mogotsi
Waterskiing: Nadine de Villiers, Warren Quinn, Morgan Krause, Warren Fine