It is a truism whose veracity has proved itself many times over — nothing galvanises South Africans like sport. This is especially when our sports people compete internationally, proudly hoisting our national flag.
Paris 2024 being a case in point. We saw the surge in national pride when South Africans performed well, whether it was Tatjana Smith winning her breaststroke gold and silver medals, the men's 4x100m relay team taking silver, the Blitzboks winning bronze, mountain-biker Alan Hatherly finishing third or even Akani Simbine having to settle for fourth in the men’s 100m.
The obvious question is how, as a country, we can build on and improve our athletes’ showing in this edition of the Olympics spectacular. The opportunity to improve has come begging many times but we have failed to grab it with both hands.
What we require is to put together a long-term plan involving the government, the private sector and other relevant stakeholders, particularly from the sporting fraternity, aimed at developing not only Olympic sports but other codes as well. The plan could entail bidding to stage various international sports events, such as the Africa Games, the Commonwealth Games, and athletics and swimming world championships.
Each bid should be centred on developing not only sport, but also sports infrastructure to yield a broader social benefit. In the process, we should aim to improve sporting facilities, for example, for swimming which is in desperate need of a top-class venue.
Of course, any such plan would have to aim at eliminating the developmental inequalities that characterise the country, where the suburbs have the best facilities while the townships have for too long had to make do with little or nothing. The upgrade would have to include schools, which act as feeders to professional and national sports teams and as places to promote more physical activity in the population.
There’s no reason, with better planning and consistent focus, we could not better our Olympic performances. We might even be able to bid for the Olympics in, say, 2052. This may sound highly ambitious, and probably is, but unless we develop an ambitious vision, joining the pantheon of top sporting nations will remain an elusive dream.
On our way, we should learn from our own experience in hosting world-class events such as the rugby, cricket and soccer world cups. We can also take a leaf out of the experiences of others, such as the French, who are hosting the current Olympics.
By all accounts, the French have done an outstanding job, adding their unique flavour to this global showpiece of sporting excellence. Parisians smiled and were approachable, and public transport worked like a dream most of the time, even if passengers were crammed in nose-to-armpit at times.
The atmosphere at Stade de France, which hosted the rugby sevens and the athletics, was memorable. And the French backed it up in the field of competition, giving a good account of themselves.
This is an achievement we can emulate, but we must show the necessary determination and be prepared to put in the required hard work and investment. As the saying goes, what you put in is what you get out.
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