SASCOC clarifies selection criteria for the Olympics

Leon Fleisher, the High-Performance General Manager at SASCOC, emphasized that the national Olympic organization will not shoulder responsibility for athletes omitted from Team SA’s ultimate squad.

With the Games scheduled to commence from Friday, 26 July to Sunday, 11 August, in Paris, SASCOC aims to assemble a big squad to proudly represent the nation at this premier sporting event.

Nevertheless, the least of its concerns involves witnessing athletes expressing confusion and anger at them.

Hence, Fleisher promptly provided a comprehensive explanation of the entire process.

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“The federations bear the responsibility of choosing athletes eligible for the Olympic Games. Our task involves scrutinizing the teams to ensure that each individual meets the International Olympic Committee (IOC) criteria,” explained Fleisher to SABC Sport.

“We conduct police and safeguarding clearance to ensure no doping issues. As the High-Performance Commission, we determine the selection of the federation’s submissions taking into account all the aspects mentioned above.”  

If there is an excess of qualified athletes for a single slot, SASCOC does not consider it their concern; instead, they permit the respective federation to resolve the matter.

“SASCOC’s primary duty is to unequivocally secure the participation of athletes who have qualified and been selected for the Games. The primary responsibility for preparing athletes lies with the national federations, not SASCOC,” emphasized Fleisher.