Shaun Maswanganyi lifts lid on lack of support from SASCOC

Maswanganyi was unable to join Team SA at the Diamond League in Shanghai and Bahamas this month due to a lack of funding.

Speaking on Metro FM’s Sports Night Amplified with host Andile Ncube, the 200m specialist feels he was denied an opportunity to build momentum with his relay crew ahead of the Games in Paris.

"Really it ultimately boils down to practice and our federation, I feel like they could still be doing a lot more in terms of taking care of us. I mean, just the other day I was speaking about how we have lack of funding in a sense that like I'm not even getting any support from the country," Maswanganyi said.

"I was supposed to be receiving some sort of support at least so I can be able to cover my expenses so I can come to relay camps or travel when I need to come back to South Africa but you know that's something that affects the relay element in a sense that we can never always be together to at least have a practice here and there."

READ: SASCOC promises to offer big incentives to Team SA Olympic medalists

With the 4x100 quartet of Akani Simbine, Bradley Nkoana, Benjamin Richardson and Bayanda Walaza securing the Olympic spot, there’s high hopes for them in France.

Maswanganyi made an argument why they need more time together. 

"I remember like in 2021, I was only able to go to like one relay camp and that was when it was in Italy and unfortunately, Gift [Leotlela ] the guy I was practising with the most got injured at the Olympics. So, we had to sub in and I had to run with Clarence [Munyai] and Clarence and I barely had any, literally no practice at all except the day before,” he explained.

“These are factors that we were not really prepared for but I feel like with the right practice and enough reps and enough competitions going in, we can mitigate the risk and allow ourselves to really perform at the highest level."

SASCOC on Wednesday morning announced the first of three parts of Team SA, in which Simbine, Nkoana, Richardson, and Walaza were named, while Maswanganyi was excluded.

It remains to be seen who will make the cut in the proceeding parts of Team SA to be announced at a date still to be confirmed.