Development is the heartbeat of athletics – the foundation on which future champions are built. That’s why it always fills me with joy to cover sub-youth league meetings, where raw talent meets pure passion.

But lately, that joy has been clouded by growing concern. The very officials tasked with nurturing these young athletes are, through rigid rule enforcement and blatant favouritism, making it harder for children to fulfil their potential.

On Saturday, while covering the third CGA sub-youth track and field meeting at Germiston Stadium, I witnessed two moments that left me deeply unsettled. The first came during the U8 boys’ 60m sprint, when a young athlete was disqualified for a false start.

Rules are there for a reason, yes, but surely, at this developmental stage, they should be applied with the aim to teach, not to punish. Imagine being seven years old, stepping nervously onto the track for your big race, only to be sent home without even getting to run. Would that child ever want to return? Are we not, by our own hand, driving young talent away from the sport we claim to grow?

Officials are vital to the smooth running of any event – that’s not in question. However, at the sub-youth level, the approach must be reconsidered. A softer, educational stance would do more to nurture long-term participation than a hardline interpretation of senior rules.

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Development is not just about performance; it’s about learning, building confidence, and developing a love for the sport.

The second incident, however, cut even deeper. Standing at the finish line during the U11 boys’ 80m sprint, I watched as a white athlete from Brakpan AC crossed the line in third place, only to be placed near the bottom by the officials at the finish.

Even when I and paramedics stationed nearby confirmed what we had seen, the officials didn’t budge.
Was it an honest mistake or something more sinister? I hesitate to label it outright racism, but the optics were troubling. Too many times during the day, I saw athletes’ placements altered in ways that conveniently favoured those connected to certain clubs.

Such incidents may seem minor to outsiders, but to a child who has trained hard, they are devastating. When a young athlete’s effort is dismissed because of bias – be it racial or club-related – it cuts to the soul of fairness.

These children are the future of our sport, and they deserve better. CGA officials must take a long, honest look at how these events are being run. At the grassroots level, every decision, every call and every moment on the track counts.

Suppose we truly care about developing the next generation of champions. In that case, we must ensure that every child – regardless of their club or colour – feels seen, valued, and treated fairly, because development without fairness is no development at all.

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