The Disneyland of elite South African sport
Roar Rookie By Brad Cooper, 25 Feb 2013 Brad Cooper is a Roar Rookie
- Tagged:
- Athletics, Oscar Pistorius, South Africa, swimming
Many familiar with South African vernacular english have heard the abrupt conversational rejoinder: “Is it?”
This curiously biting turn of phrase – with its ring of challenge to unfamiliar ears – typifies a distrust of hyperbole in a nation where even ordinary life is ‘writ larger’ than almost anywhere else on earth.
Leaving alone this week’s initial outrage of a sports star being charged with shooting his girlfriend to death, the alternative notion of a man emptying several rounds through a locked toilet door at an unidentified victim is problematic enough to the average person.
Yet a brief overview of recent South African sporting history shows a celebrity culture troubled to the point of making the Lance Armstrong saga seem mere wantonness.
As well as Oscar Pistorius, cricketer Hansie Cronje, runner Caster Semenya and swimmer Natalie De Toit are just three recent examples of the Rainbow Nation’s stormy engagement with modern sport and its potential for fiction-challenging pathos.
Cronje was one of his country’s most illustrious sportsmen when found guilty of match fixing in 2000.
That he also died within two years of his life ban in a light plane crash seemed consistent in a nation seemingly overseen by some stern Greek God of sporting destinies.
Rumours of revenge by underworld figures for Cronje’s testimony have never quite subsided.
Semenya was – and still is – one of the world’s best female 800m runners.
But 2009 allegations that a biological gender ambiguity gave her an unfair advantage caused her temporary banning.
Although subsequent testing was carried out which vindicated her status, results have never been explicit.
Her plight brought howls of protest from human rights and feminist groups anxious to protect her dignity and she was reinstated in 2010.
While she won a silver medal in the London 2012 Olympics 800m, critics have accused her of ‘backing off’ near the finish line to avoid further controversy that might have accompanied a gold medal.
That such a rare and unexplored issue in women’s sport occurred in South Africa reinforces the impression of that nation’s vexed sporting destiny.
Du Toit, in probably the ‘happiest’ outcome of the four, is an amputee (her lower left leg was lost after a motor cycle accident) who not only represented successfully in disabled sport, but participated in the able bodied Beijing Olympics in the 10 kilometres open water race.
Unlike her land based counterpart, Pistorius, Du Toit swam without a prosthetic and finished 16th.
Perhaps her (so far) unblemished and heroic efforts can point to a less tumultuous future for her country’s sporting outcomes.
Brad Cooper is a former Olympic swimming champion who won gold in 1972 in the 400m freestyle.
The Crowd Says (2) | Page 1 of Comments
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- Explore:
- Athletics, Oscar Pistorius, South Africa, swimming
February 25th 2013 @ 1:54pm
Dadiggle said | February 25th 2013 @ 1:54pm | Report comment
Cronje – Well he played with our countries world cup hopes and dreams. Considering what was happening behind the scenes I don’t blmae him. He took all the blame and even went down alone without taking Gibbs with him. He was a betting man just like Marsh and Lillee was. but who was never was fined or anything for it. In the end he went down cause (1) Of how kids in this country is raised in schools Winning is everything no matter what and (2) Politics and sport mixing something that was introduced by Isolation as the ruling party now use as a weapon to hurt the minorities.
Caster Semenya – A lady born with a rare condition where her body produces more testosterone naturally who is given drugs by the IAAF to slow her down. I say again her body produces it naturally and it can be seen as condition or something bad or one can take advantage of it just like Michael Phelps have taken advantage of his double jointed wrist or Murali of his elbow deformity. She is a woman taking drugs to repress a thing her body produce naturally. So has to otherwise she cn’t compete. Is it fair? No. Just silly rules from the IAAF and and IOC who favor some and disrespect others.
Natalie Du Toit – Any other amputees competing at the Olympics in swimming or who have qualified? No. She is a inspiration and what she went through she deserves much more respect.
Oscar Pistorius – Another guy who instead of cry he has no legs or calling himself a disadvantage have made it to the Olympics with prosthetics and have been able to beat athletes with legs containing numerous muscles needed for sprinting. Inspiration to many. About what he is currently going through? It is rather nonsensical from a legal point of view, to speculate at this point whether Pistorius will be found guilty of murder. None of us know. This is not going to stop people speculating about his guilt or innocence, but such speculation might have to do more with the morbid fascination of people with the case than with any legally responsible analysis.
All I can say people must not forget another free loving innocent woman lost her life. Was it on purpose or accident is for the court to judge after receiving all the facts and not the media. But let us not forget about Reeva while all of this is going on.
February 27th 2013 @ 7:06pm
biltongbek said | February 27th 2013 @ 7:06pm | Report comment
Sorry to say but I just don’t get the point of this article.
From what you brought out here it seems you are more after some form of sensation and is creating the celebrity culture of your own.
firstly if you actually have lived in SA you would very quickly note that celebrities hardly get much attention at all, similarly a very small group of people put them on pedestals. It is mainly the media that would get involved in creating these stories.
Average everyday South Africans could care less what these “sporting celebrities” do.
How is Caster Semenya someone that should be part of this “culture” you suggest there is.
Hansie Cronje is the exception to the rule.
you suggest Lance Armstrong is a tea party compared to South African sportsmen and women?
A guy who had the world at his feet for a decade whilst conning a sporting code as a whole and any supporter or follower of cycling?
Sorry mate, your reaching.
Calling South African sport Disneyland, suggests the tone of a misplaced article. I suggest you research a bit closer to home.