Mayor pleads with businesses to help players with funding for Olympic Games

Executive Mayor Tania Campbell has called on businesses in the City to assist four Eastern Gauteng Badminton Association players on their road to the Olympic Games in Paris, France, next year.

Campbell spoke at the All Africa Senior Championships opening ceremony at the John Barrable Hall on February 13.

“The City is assisting, but it’s also important for businesses in the region to help with sponsorship,” she said.

The quartet (Robert White, Deidré Laurens Jordaan, Amy Ackerman and Jarred Elliot) are in the Badminton Confederation Africa’s (BCA) Road To Paris (RTP) programme for players with the potential to qualify for the Games in the French capital.

They must participate in various tournaments to boost their world rankings. According to the Badminton World Federation, the players must be ranked first in their disciplines on their continent and be in the top 50 in the world to qualify for the Olympics.

The RTP programme includes co-funding by BCA. However, the funding is limited, and the financially-distressed Badminton South Africa (BSA) has to cover the rest of the costs.

Although the players have started many initiatives to raise funds, they are in a race against time to secure enough funding as the qualifiers begin in May.

“Badminton has never been given a chance. We must uplift and support them.

“We are a huge industrial hub in the country. Many companies would jump at the opportunity to sponsor the badminton players,” Campbell said.

The mayor explained she and her MMCs will open channels of communication with the business community to assist the players and youth in the City.

She thanked BSA and BCA for choosing the City to host the All Africa Championships.

“I’m very excited to have all the sporting codes come to the City of Ekurhuleni. It shows our facilities are world-class. Bringing the supporters to our City will boost our economy in the hospitality industry, and small businesses will benefit.”

She commended BSA for promoting inclusivity, diversity and values such as teamwork and discipline.

“It’s important that all sporting codes are diverse. We’ve seen how drug and alcohol abuse affects our young people. It’s vitally important that our youth gets more involved with sports.

“It’s also imperative that sports promote the diversity of males and females and all cultures. Sport is the only thing that can bring unity. It’s the only thing that can teach the youth in our City the values of teamwork,” she said.

Campbell wished team South Africa well on their quest for gold at the All Africa Championships. They started the tournament on February 13 and will conclude on February 19.

Also Read: All Africa Championships: SA brush aside Mozambique on day one

Also Read: All Africa Championships: Meet Team South Africa – Part Two