Help! 24 Hours to Send SA Skier to Winter Olympics

We have 24 hours to sign a petition to help make Sive Speelman’s dreams come true and send him to the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Sive was the only South African athlete to qualify for Sochi 2014, but the South African Olympic Committee (SASCOC) has decided not to send him. Countries around the world condemned their decision, but SASCOC has not budged.

In short, even though the International Olympic Committee deemed Sive good enough to compete, our own South African committee appears unwilling to send somebody that they believe will not win.

According to a petition that has been set up, Sive is feeling “understandably inconsolable and feeling utterly betrayed by the very people who are supposed to do their best to ensure our country is represented at the Olympics.”

Sive has dedicated half of his young life to training, preparing and competing to achieve the dream of every sportsman – to compete against the world’s best and represent his country.

Sive would be the first Black South African to represent his country at the winter olympics.

“Sive Speelman is a young black South African athlete from the Eastern Cape. He is, against all odds, an Alpine Ski Racer (a very rare breed in SA!) and he has very little time left to get to Sochi 2014,” says his coach, Alex Heath, a former Olympian himself.

“Sive is a great guy who has given up all of his spare time, all of his holidays and most of his other interests to become the champion skier he is today. Please take the time to lend us your support by signing this petition.”

Both Heath and Peter Pilz, president of Snow Sports South Africa, are mystified at SASCOC’s decision.

“This setback is a very real threat to the ski racing development program in South Africa and deals a severe blow to the small industry. It would also mean that Sive has nowhere left to aim for, as a South African athlete and one wonders if this means he should stop competing in the sport he loves and is talented at, or, worse yet, move abroad in the hopes of being able to represent a country that is not his own.”

SIGN THE PETITION TO SEND SIVE TO SOCHI 2014

Here’s SASCOC’s official explanation. It doesn’t talk of sportsmanship:

“The decision was taken due to the following reasons: In terms of the FIS (International Ski Federation) qualification system; · clause 3.1 specifically refers to an “A” qualification which relates to athletes who are ranked in the first 500 in the Olympic FIS points list; and · clause 3.2 specifically refers to the “B” qualification which makes provision that the National Olympic Committee, that is SASCOC, may, should they so desire, take up one allocated slot. In this regard, Speelman has not met the minimum qualification of 140 in the Olympic FIS points list, having achieved 140,126. It is further noted that the athlete concerned is currently ranked 2, 290th in the world. After due consideration and taking into account all the facts relating to the matter, SASCOC as the National Olympic Committee, unfortunately will not be delivering him to the Winter Olympic Games, Sochi 2014. SASCOC will continue to adhere to its selection policies in order to ensure participation at the various multi-coded sports events is of the highest quality.”

Surely the Olympics – and all competitive sports – are about more than just sending your guaranteed winners? It’s about the dedication and dreams of those who qualify and their pursuit of excellence; and it’s about the joy and privilege we spectators get to watch athletes achieve and sometimes even surpass their full potential, whatever that may be. Please sign the petition.