AN OLYMPIAN CHALLENGE
On the opening of the Olympic Games in Tokyo and Quo Vadis sport in South Africa By Prof Marion Keim
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s I am watching the opening of the Olympic Games in Tokyo at home on my TV, it takes me back to 1992, when I had the honour to be at the Games in Barcelona, Spain. It was at that Games where both former South African president Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu were present to promote the Olympic Truce and the Olympic Spirit, and where we celebrated SA’s return to the Olympic Games after many years of absenteeism due to apartheid. It takes me back to August 2016, when the 31st Olympic Games were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — the last Olympic Games before COVID-19 overran the world — and where millions of people assembled to watch the best athletes in the world compete. Amongst them were South African
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sensations Wayde van Niekerk, Mokgadi Caster Semenya, Luvo Manyonga, Cameron van der Burgh and Chad le Clos – all of whom made childhood dreams come true. It takes me back even further to my research about the Olympic Games, to St Louis in 1904 where two black South African runners, unknown to many, were the first Olympians representing South Africa at an Olympic Games event. It was the first worldwide Olympics held outside of Europe and the first to be part of the World Trade Fair, an international fair held to attract interest and investment, and where the two South Africans were employed. Those two South Africans were Jan Mashiane and Len Taunyane, who ran in the marathon with ordinary working shirts and knee-length trousers.
Mashiane had “shoes and socks but his partner ran barefoot, and [they] were chased by a dog for some distance”. The two South Africans finished the marathon ninth and 12th, respectively, and thus became the first black Africans to compete in the Olympics. I think of two visionaries of the Olympic Games, Pierre de Coubertin and Nelson Mandela. Our field – the “sports field”– is where many sporting legends and stars enjoy universal popularity, however, few will be remembered for something bigger than a career in sport and even fewer leave a true legacy by using sport as a tool for more than a medal, more than entertainment. Instead, it is the latter handful of sportspeople who leave legacies of development, education, peace and unity that last for decades and even centuries. Pierre de Coubertin and Nelson Mandela were such visionaries. The former is considered the Father of the modern Olympic Games; the latter, the Father of the nation of South Africa. Coubertin believed in the impact that sport can have, which led him to revive the Olympic Games and, with them, the idea of the Olympic Truce and “world peace”. Olympism was seen as a philosophy of life. This vision of an Olympic Truce and world peace has often been seen as utopian hyperbole, however, Coubertin’s intention was to set an example for international unity. Years later, South Africa and Nelson Mandela
