Sascoc president Barry Hendricks explains name change delay

The Olympic body is undergoing the process of having its name changed from Sascoc to Sport SA to include the Olympic and Paralympic bodies.

The Sascoc board adopted the constitution and consulted both the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to get the green light to change their name.

"We were supposed to change the name last year but there is still a lot of paperwork outstanding. We are still busy with the legal process, and consulting with the lawyers regularly," Hendricks, who replaced Gideon Sam in 2020, explained to SABC Sport.

Hendricks has explained that the exorbitant cost of the entire process further drags the matter out.

"Our goal was to do it this year before the financial year-end in March, but I cannot guarantee that now. We have to do lots of branding and upgrade our digital platforms," he added.

"It is easier said than done to change the registration. There is a financial process to go through, which costs millions and involves legal processes."

When the legal process of registration is complete, the plan is to go big with the launch of the 'new' body and invite figures that contributed to the formation of the initial Olympic movement, Hendricks said.

For now, Sascoc pleads with the public to exercise patience as they work on finalising the renaming process.

By Charles Baloyi