SA bigger gold target for Rio
South Africa will be expected to double their Olympic medal count at Rio in 2016 says Mvuso Mbebe.
The Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa Zone 6 made the statement at the International Council for Coaching Excellence (ICCE) conference currently being hosted by South African Sports Council and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) in Durban.
“We (Zone 6 countries) are meeting in November to set targets for each of the (ten) countries and have told South Africa that we expect them to retain the three medals they won in London and are looking for them to add one or two more to achieve our targets.”
Mbebe said that Zone 6 would be targeting a total of 16 medals in Rio and this was a step on the path towards the region becoming the dominant region in the continent on the field of play at major events.
“Everyone must be afraid of (playing against) this region when we come to major countries,” continued Mbebe who committed to aligning the regions coaching structures and development to ICCE’s coaching framework version 1.2 that was launched on the first day of the conference in Durban.
Over 250 delegates are attending the conference, which is being held in Africa for the first time and brings together experts from around the world to share knowledge and expertise.
“This (framework) is a reference point for coaching development around the world,” said ICCE President, John Bales. “South Africa, through SASCOC, have evolved a local version which is being endorsed by ICCE and we look forward to continuing our work with them in the implementation and development of the mentors and coaches.”
The new framework sets out the principles and standards for the development of coaches, where a key objective of the ICCE system is to create mentors of global stature, who in turn can develop coaches.
“We are very impressed with the system and commitment that we have seen here,” continued Bales who is realistic about the time it will take for the impact of the framework to be seen at an elite performance level. “Coaching development is a long-term process; it takes years to set up the system and years as a coach to becomes a real expert, but the impact on the programme starts immediately with the training of higher level expertise. Measuring the impact of the system takes a long time, but the development of the individual starts immediately.”
South Africa’s commitment to the framework is well timed given this week’s announcement that South Africa, through Durban, is re-considering a bid for the 2024 Olympic Games.
(File Photo:Gallo Images)
- Norrie Williamson
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