Khotso Mokoena urges athletes to make most of OPEX

Mokoena, who secured a silver medal in the long jump during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in China, is a previous beneficiary of this program and attests that it contributed to his remarkable career achievements. 

SASCOC secured a sponsor of R66 million from Bidvest to bankroll the programme over the next four years.

"The best way to maximise Operation Excellence (OPEX) is actually just looking at all corners on how you can improve because the financial support is there for the athlete and the coach," explained Mokoena.

"So, the best thing to do is check all possibilities to upgrade your performances. What I did also with my OPEX funds in the past was to look in Finland – there was a coach there who assisted me and my coach here at home to become better.

"That's very important, along with having training camps overseas with the best [athletes] you can [find] to put yourself in an environment where your competitors are."

Mokoena further expresses confidence in Team SA’s ability to win medals at the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games, particularly the likes of Akani Simbine and Chad le Clos.

"We do have a lot of medal hopefuls, and some of the athletes in the past National Championships, we've seen some really great potential that we might bring some medals in Paris, that we thought might [shine] in 2028," he added.

"So, Paris is a big journey for Team South Africa. It's not only about 2028 USA, but Paris is also very important – we still have the likes of Akani, Chad, and also the other athletes that have been winning [events] in gymnastics.

"We also have [Simnikiwe] Bongco now doing really well in the boxing, so we know that OPEX is going to do a lot with these athletes."