Poor facilities deny Eastern Cape athletes official records

Performances by Eastern Province youth athletes will not make it into the record books anytime soon. Not because their performances are not good enough, but because the entire province does not have a facility capable of capturing their record-breaking efforts.

This came to light earlier this month when parents were notified that, despite their children’s exceptional performances that qualified them to represent their province at the national championships next year, their records will not be recognised.

None of the three main athletics stadiums in Nelson Mandela Bay normally used for provincial-level events adheres to the international standards that would allow athletes’ records to be documented for posterity.

While the government made promises that funding would be made available for one stadium to be upgraded in the near future, the province’s athletics board said no timelines had yet been given.

The revelation came earlier this month when athletes competed at the Eastern Province Athletics (EPA) High Schools, Seniors and Masters League, in Nelson Mandela Bay.

Several athletes, competing across sporting codes in high school age groups, celebrated new provincial records. However, in the days that followed, they were notified that their records would not be recognised.

EPA confirmed that the Nelson Mandela University (NMU) Madibaz Stadium, the Gelvandale Track, and The Oval in Westbourne Road, Gqeberha, were not properly graded and could therefore not officially document record-breaking performances.

Angry parents

“We understand that several parents have lashed out and voiced their anger and frustration about this development, and we cannot blame them. Our province produces top-tier athletes, and through no fault of their own, their records will not be recorded,” EPA president Selby Thabethe said.

“Our athletes’ performances will still qualify them to compete at national championship level. They have safely secured their spots in the Eastern Province team, but unfortunately, any records they break will not be officially recognised.”

Several parents have voiced their dissatisfaction with the state of affairs, but asked to remain anonymous for fear that it could affect their children’s position in the provincial team.

One mother, whose daughter broke a long-distance track record in her high school age category, at NMU last weekend, said hours of sacrifice by athletes, parents and coaches were going unrecognised.

“My daughter spent hours on the track. She normally does other middle-distance events, but decided to participate in this event for the first time this year.

“We had to travel between Kariega (formerly Uitenhage) and Gqeberha for her to practice. Her coach had to set time aside to work with her. She competes in the event for the first time and breaks the record, only to be told, sorry, it won’t count.

“It is incredibly disheartening. Luckily, she still qualified for nationals, but her chance to see her name in our provincial record books might never come again.”

The mother said her daughter had put the unfortunate development behind her as she wanted to focus on training for the SA Champs in March 2026, in Potchefstroom.

Another parent took to social media after her child broke a long-standing field record, but asked not to be named as other complaining parents claimed EPA officials told them to “drop it”.

“We are frustrated, but we don’t want to jeopardise our kid’s sporting future. So we have to accept it and hope they can achieve the same distances when they go to fields where records are acknowledged.”

EPA shares frustration

Thabethe said EPA shared the athletes’ frustrations as the sporting body did not own the facilities and had no power over the maintenance and standards at the venues.

He said the Gelvandale Track and The Oval were owned by the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, while NMU took care of the Madibaz Stadium. “Gelvandale and The Oval have not been graded for some time, so we normally use the facilities at NMU. I am aware that they are no longer graded, but I only took up this position recently, so I am unsure why they did not grade.”

His predecessor, Sticks Stiglingh, who made himself unavailable for re-election after his term as EPA president ended earlier this year, said the stadiums in question lacked specific features and equipment to meet the required standards.

“Funding is one of the biggest challenges. EPA’s specialised electronic timekeeping equipment is not functional, and I believe the same equipment at NMU is also not functioning. To repair that could cost in the region of R1.6-million.

“For the tracks’ starting position and lanes to be properly marked to international standards could cost anywhere between R600,000 and R1-million.”

Stiglingh said the problem was not due to inept officials – the Eastern Province was one of the top performers when it came to hosting development events, and Athletics South Africa named it Province of the Year in January 2025.

“There were conversations with the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture and promises were made that one of the stadiums in Nelson Mandela Bay would be upgraded soon. But when exactly that will take place is still unsure,” Stiglingh said.

‘Possible upgrades’

Municipal spokesperson Sithembiso Soyaya confirmed that the Gelvandale track would be looked at for possible upgrades.

“The municipality can confirm that the Westbourne Oval was not originally built or engineered to meet international athletics standards. The Oval and Gelvandale tracks are utilised for provincial-level championships and development events.

“Currently, athletes in the city qualify for National Championships through the NMU track.

“The municipality has conducted an assessment of the Gelvandale track and recommendations have been submitted for potential improvements to enhance its suitability for higher-tier events.”

Soyaya said that the Motherwell Stadium was used extensively for development programmes, and it had also been identified as a potential facility for future upgrades to improve its capacity and compliance with higher-level competition standards.

He said the facilities were maintained within the municipality’s annual Parks and Recreation infrastructure maintenance budget, which included cleaning, grass cutting, minor repairs and lighting upkeep. 

“The current operational and maintenance budget allocated to these facilities for the 2024/25 financial year is R1.8-million collectively. However, major capital upgrades, such as resurfacing or grading compliance, require dedicated funding, which is currently being explored as part of the next IDP and budget cycle.” DM