The road to the 2028 Youth Olympics begins with the ASA National Primary Schools T&F Championships, in 20 days’ time at Pietermaritzburg where ASA will identify talented athletes, and initiate a monitoring process, that will guide talented primary school athletes in their early stages of development to become future Olympians.

Two days of exciting competition will see young athletes gather in search of glory, which will include LSEN (learners with disability) athletes, at the beautiful Umsunduzi Municipality Athletics Stadium from Friday, 20 March to Saturday 21 March.

The results from this competition will help to identify athletes who will be selected to participate in an international primary schools competition to be hosted at the same venue in Pietermaritzburg in October.

“These are exciting times for schools athletics,” said Aleck Skhosana, the President of ASA. “We expect major contest by athletes who will now jostle for selection to be part of the international event where they will face their international peers.

“The listed events at the ASA National Primary Schools Championships are therefore in accordance with the National Sport and Recreation Plan and the said MOU.

“This is of part what ASA as a mother body wanted from SASA in order to align with the national agenda of athletics. ASA does not want to take over schools athletics, but we have a duty to intervene where we have to as in this case.”