Presidential candidate Moloi promises to focus on development should he win ASA Elections
Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA) President James Moloi wants to bring back interprovincial races if he gets elected as the new president of Athletics South Africa (ASA). Moloi is going toe to toe with Aleck Skhosana in the hotly anticipated elections on May 8.
Since getting the full backing from his federation, Moloi has presented a strong manifesto focusing on improving the status of the athletes. He says bringing interprovincial games and providing a monthly incentive to the elite runners would improve the standard of running across the country.
"For instance, look at how Limpopo has got too many good marathon runners," said Moloi over a telephone interview. "But they can't do well without getting good competition and the proper assistance from the federation. I don't know if you remember back in the days, we had what we called interprovincial games where all good elite runners across the country gather in the certain city to compete together. So that alone created a high level of competition. So I'm willing to bring that where those games will circulate from Durban, Kimberly, Paarl etc," explained the man who spent some years competing in France during his days as a Top Runner.
"At the same time we must organise training camps for Track, Cross Country and Road running where elite runners will be monitored on which races they do to avoid them to over-racing which might destroy their careers. And all those in the camp would receive monthly incentive," he told #TheTopRunner.
Moloi believes investing in development across all provincial federations would be the solution to unearthing new talent. "The pilot development programme would see us install coaches would help the country to find new talent," he elaborates. "Where are we going to get new Caster Semenya's if we are not investing in the young people? So those structures would allow us to replace older athletes once they opt to retire from the sport. We must also track performances of those athletes in those pilot structures to see how they develop. It's not a difficult task if you have a proper planning," he said.
For a more detailed view at Moloi's history in sports administration, download the document below.