Home | Letters | SD SHOULD SHUN OLYMPICS, INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENTS

SD SHOULD SHUN OLYMPICS, INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENTS

Font size: Decrease font Enlarge font

Sir,

Swaziland went to the Rio Olympics and as the world looked on, she gave a thoroughly embarrassing account of herself. Don’t get me wrong; this is not targeted at the heroic men and women who represented us in a variety of events.

They above all, were the primary victims of the country’s show of shame. No right thinking person would knock the competitors who represented the rest of us in Rio.

The disastrous outing in Rio and the recent African Nations Champions (CHAN 2018 Qualifiers), is due to those who run Swaziland. They are notorious for failing the basic tasks.

The Olympics are held every four years and you cannot tell me they fail to prepare each time. Swaziland’s sports officials had four years to ensure that their country’s athletes had a trainer and that they received sound training and have the best equipment. They had four years to do this.


Guess what, our very own ‘Swazi Bolt’ had no coach, and still doesn’t have one even now. Swazi officials make a mess of every elementary expectation! Olympic games are distinct from other competitive fiestas. They showcase and celebrate the best in a variety of sporting events. Every four years these games offer countries the platform to gather their top talent and bring them to one venue.

Each athlete’s victory or outstanding feat is both a moment of personal triumph and national prestige. The Olympics offer a stage for individuals and the countries they represent. Countries that take themselves seriously don’t wait for the curtain to be drawn on one Olympic, before they start to prepare for the next event. Serious countries are constantly looking for recruiting and grooming talent.


Shame is a scarce often non - existent commodity in Swaziland. In fact, our sports officials have compelled our athletes to compete short-handed or to fend for themselves. What a shame. Of course the narrative of Swaziland’s lack of seriousness is always beamed to the whole world. I then ask: why doesn’t this clay-footed nation quit the Olympics and spare the world the agony of watching it model failure? This symbolises all that is wrong with our country.


This kind of inefficiency and national disgrace leaves me very sad. When will the Swaziland Government stop embarrassing its citizens? If we cannot show excellence and hold our heads high in simple matters as having a knowledgeable coach like in our national team Sihlangu at the moment, and preparing a team to beat countries like Zambia; why then do we need to participate in these games?

Why then are we pretending that we are running or governing a country? I am sorry but this is too much to bear. It is like we are forced to watch a people destroy themselves and completely make fools of themselves. This is not fair; let’s quit and save us from all the shame.

Colleen Matsebula


Comments (0 posted):

Post your comment comment

Please enter the code you see in the image: