Stephen Mokoka pleads for financial support OPEX snub

Despite his noteworthy qualifications and achievement of securing qualification for the event, Mokoka finds himself excluded from the Operation Excellence Program (OPEX) by Athletics South Africa (ASA). 

OPEX, an initiative of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), is designed to assist athletes with the potential to excel and bring home medals at major international events. 

Expressing his plea to SABC Sport, Mokoka calls on anyone willing to come to his aid, emphasising the importance of support in realising his dream of standing on the podium at the Games.

"Me and my coach decided that I have to go abroad, we don't know where – wherever the conditions are better, if I'm included in the [Olympic] team," said Mokoka.

"If I can get support somewhere – I can't say the Sascoc one, it's already gone, I hope I can get somebody to just fund me so that I can go abroad and just try to train in conditions that are more conducive.

"Because if we look at how I performed in Doha, we believe if I can get the same conditions, I might do better because when we look at what happened in Doha, I was training in September and October in it was warmer, so I performed better there."

Even with sponsorships from Nike and Boxer Athletics Club, Mokoka revealed to the national broadcaster that their financial support falls short. 

He emphasised the expenses associated with the marathon preparations are substantial, citing various costs. 

The feasibility of his upcoming overseas training trip hinges entirely on securing additional financial assistance.

"If I can get somebody out there to help me, I mean the support I get from my contracts with Nike and Boxer Athletics Club, it's not sufficient because I'm a marathon runner," he added.

"You know, when you're a marathon runner, you have to have a car that supports you twice a week when you do a 40km long run, so when you do that, you have to do another 40km back and that's petrol, and the car needs to be serviced.

"I also need nutrition, I need a physio and all these things because marathon problems are very difficult, so I'm hoping somebody out there can come into the picture and help, and maybe I can go abroad to prepare and then hope for the best."

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