Time to grill Athletics SA bosses on policies

The membership of Athletics SA (ASA) should consider scrapping the federation's controversial qualifying standards when they gather at their annual general meeting in Johannesburg on Saturday.

They should also grill the ASA top brass over their costly legal case against Russian runner Alexandra Morozova, who has gone to court to get her R210,000 prize for finishing second at the 2017 Comrades Marathon.

ASA has argued Morozova didn't have clearance from the IAAF.

But the sport's world governing body has said otherwise, explaining ASA had misinterpreted the rule over clearances.

In a letter sent to CEO Richard Stander dated April 4, IAAF road running manager Alessio Punzi said ASA had wrongly applied the rule to races like the Comrades and that "athletes of Russian nationality must not be barred from participating in the event".

Observers predict the IAAF letter alone could sink ASA in the Morozova case.

ASA's members should also demand to know why ASA sat on that IAAF letter for two months and then still tried to bar all the Russian athletes just days before last weekend's Comrades. ASA capitulated under threat of legal action.

ASA president Aleck Skhosana countered that foreigners needed to be accountable to a body in case they failed a dope test. "We'll debate that further with the IAAF," he said.

ASA's qualification criteria also need scrutiny. ASA has introduced tougher qualifying standards in 28 of the 44 individual events that will be on offer at the world championships in Doha later this year.

So far only 10 athletes have achieved the ASA standards (compared to 18 in 2017).

Caster Semenya

And just one of them is a woman - Caster Semenya, whose participation in Doha could depend on the success of her appeal at the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland.

Five women have made IAAF standards.

ASA's standards are so tough that 16 of them - 10 in women's events - are harder than the standards ASA wants to use for the Tokyo Olympics next year.

There is also a massive variance in the difficulty of the ASA standards; 48.50sec for the men's 400m hurdles would have won bronze at London 2017, while the 44.91 400m mark wouldn't have made the final.

ASA has said its standards are part of its "pulling" strategy aimed at lifting the standard of local athletics.

Local coaches and athletes are not convinced. "You don't bully talent, you nurse it," said middle-distance guru Ian Harries. "An IAAF qualifier today could be a world record-holder tomorrow."

Indeed, Wayde van Niekerk bombed at his first world championships in 2013.

ASA this week named a preliminary squad of 30 athletes, which included the 10 ASA qualifiers, nine IAAF qualifiers and 11 relay runners.

The press release strangely said they had "met all the criteria", but Skhosana warned the preliminary squad was not a guarantee for selection. "There's no certainty."

Dominique Scott

Why create doubts for athletes?

Athletes should know whether they need to focus on preparing for the championships or still try to qualify - they are two different endeavours.

US-based Dominique Scott was one of 14 IAAF qualifiers omitted from the SA team for the last world championships at London 2017 for not achieving the ASA standard.

She is in ASA's provisional squad in the 10,000m, but as an IAAF qualifier.

Unless she achieves the ASA standard, her selection will be at the board's discretion. The draft criteria allow the executive to correct demographic imbalances - like "to add more women" if needs be.

But the escape clause would be unnecessary if ASA didn't impose standards.

ASA's women's standards are mostly tougher than the men's. In the 10,000m, for example, the men's 27min 30.10sec mark would have been 15th at London 2017, and the women's 31:12.49 fifth.

It's time ASA is asked to explain itself. - isaacsond@sundaytimes.co.za