The South African men’s and women’s hockey teams will not participate in the African Games in Ghana because of concerns about the playing conditions.
The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) announced the withdrawal after independent specialists warned that the playing surface in Accra could harm players.
Despite previous guarantees that the pitches would meet international standards, Sascoc found them unsuitable for competition.
The decision was also influenced by the teams’ qualifications for the upcoming Paris Olympics, prompting Sascoc to avoid any risk of injury.
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) requires fields to be certified through tests conducted months before a tournament. However, these tests were not completed for the Ghana venue.
Questions also arose over whether FIH-accredited engineers were involved in evaluating the pitches.
Further complications were caused by the local organising committee’s poor planning.
This led to several rescheduling issues creating logistical challenges for the South African teams’ travel arrangements.
The hockey competitions at the African Games, now lacking South Africa’s participation, will proceed with reduced team numbers. The men’s tournament will have four teams, and the women’s will have three.
The last time field hockey was featured at the African Games was in 2003 in Nigeria, where the South African women’s team won gold and the men’s team secured silver.
Compiled by staff writer
Pictured above: The South African female hockey team.
Image source: X
