GSWP 63 – GSWP Open Letter of Official Objection to SSA Stipulations

As per SSA Communication on 14 October 2008
(Aka SSA Programs, Dates & Rules for 2008/9 National Competitions)

THE FOLLOWING SSA STIPULATIONS ARE OBJECTED TO UNDER WATER POLO COMPETITION RULES:

A. Stipulation 4a: Technical Officials - All Technical Officials (Referees, Table Officials, Coaches and Managers) must be correctly attired with long pants and closed shoes.
Objection: Long pants and closed shoes is not climate nor seasonally appropriate in South Africa and will be difficult to enforce.

B. Stipulation 4b: Technical Officials – Referee –The Referee cannot serve as Manager or Coach at the tournament.
Objection: The pool of professional referees is simply not big enough to support such a request. The dey facto arrangement of having a coach or manager referee the match after their teams match addresses the issue satisfactorily until a sufficient referee base exists and until the finance is available to pay said referees.

C. Stipulation 5 a-c: Team Entries All team entries must be submitted to SSA Competitions Manager, by the Affiliate Secretary, by closing date that will be stipulated: a. Intention to compete – closing date is 3 months prior to first day of competition. b. Confirmation to compete – closing date is 2 months prior to first day of competition and must to accompanied with payment. c. Final team list – closing date is 4 weeks prior to first day of competition. Accompanying this list must be an ID photo of each team member. Photo’s are to be taken with a white back ground and can be submitted in digital format.
Objection: The due dates are out of sync with the dey facto arrangement and is practically unattainable

D. Stipulation 6 If teams withdraw after the closing date (point 5.b.). Their entry fee will not be refunded and a further fine of R 500.00 will be imposed.
Objection: Teams do not withdraw because they want to and to impose fines for doing so is profiteering.

E. Stipulation 7a - c: Team Composition minimum requirements: a. 13 players • Each team must field 2 black players (2008) and 3>4 black players (2009). • There must be at least 1 black player in the pool for the full duration of the game. Teams that do not comply will result in their entry being withdrawn. c. 1 manager - 1 member of the management must be black (2008).
Objection: The quota system as requested above is devoid of any thought, based in racist foundations and unattainable in terms of the pool of black players currently available to play and manage in the country at the required level. There is currently NO development support from SSA that warrants such Drakonian and inflammatory measurements and it is my firm belief that whoever wrote the requirement has no interest in the growth of the sport but rather makes decisions based on a fundamentalist and political agenda. If said point of departure continues I am sure that the sport will be brought into disrepute again as with previous attempts to squeeze black blood from a rock that just does not have any. The Kramer League is already an excellent example of prohibitive administration policies in terms that teams have foregone entry into the league and simply hold a mirror tournament without any political interference.

THE FOLLOWING SSA STIPULATIONS ARE OBJECTED TO UNDER SA SCHOOLS RULES:

F. Stipulation 1: This event is run by S.A Schools with the assistance of SSA.
Objection: The assistance should be solely in a financial sense as history has proved that SSA lacks the capacity to act quickly and decisively and decisions are generally not made to the best interest of the sport but rather based on political motives which tends to lead the sport into disrepute.

G. Stipulation 2: SSA contributes to the technical running of the water polo tournament, therefore the above rules Apply except: Rule 5 – team entries are to be submitted to S.A. Schools.
Objection: The tournament, in its entirety, should be run by the SWPSA and the host province. SSA has no insight into the on the ground complexities of the tournament and should not complicate the process.

H. Stipulation 3 Registration; All players that participate in this tournament shall be registered with SSA and these registrations shall be submitted on a spreadsheet and include Race. Objection: In terms of the National Constitution it is discriminatory and unconstitutional to include a person’s race as the basis for any decision making and should be removed from registrations as it superfluous. Race quotas should be phased out, not enshrined in rules and regulations.

I.Stipulation 4 & 5 Invitation to Schools outside South Africa will be done through SSA. All teams representing South Africa will be sanctioned by Swimming South Africa.
Objection SSA’s administration does not have sufficient capacity to administer events that are at the core not part of their mandate as schools and teams who travel to, invite and participate against schools and teams outside South Africa are done on an informal/casual basis and does not fall within the official framework of the SSA umbrella body. The provincial body may be informed of a school tour as courtesy and permission must only be sought should a team act as a national team. (Whether that team was nationally selected or not)

Yours in polo
Marius Buys
Chairman
14 October 2008