Voorsitter, agb Minister, Adjunkminister, agb lede, agb sportadministrateurs, mnr Lee het vroer 'n paar name genoem. Hy het egter sekeres uitgelaat; ek wil almal wat hier teenwoordig is, hartlik verwelkom. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[Mr J J VAN DER LINDE: Chairperson, hon Minister, Deputy Minister, hon members, hon sports administrators, Mr Lee had mentioned a few names earlier. He has however omitted some. I would like to extend a warm welcome to all present.]
The Democratic Alliance wishes to congratulate the Local Organising Committee for putting together a first-rate demonstration of the 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup. We are confident that the security and transport issues that came up during the tournament, as well as accommodation for next year, will be resolved ahead of 2010.
Bafana Bafana also deserves credit for showing a great deal of determination to reach the semifinals of the tournament. Congratulations to the rugby team with their performance against the British Lions.
Maar, ek moet self s, ons "coach" is baie gelukkig. Hy het die verkeerde keuses gemaak. Hy is baie, baie gelukkig. [However, I must add that our coach is a very happy man. He was responsible for making the wrong selections. He is a very, very happy man.]
Also the achievement of the men's hockey team in the Four Nations Tournament in Russia this past weekend has further contributed to our national pride and unity.
It is clear that we will be ready for 2010. Huge amounts of money were given for infrastructure for this event to ensure its success. It is hoped that after 2010 the same kind of commitment will be evident for all the other codes. The 2008 Olympics was a disaster, especially for the normal coach.
Die paralimpiese atlete het ons naam hoog gehou. [The paralympic athletes have maintained our reputation.]
And 2012 is just on our doorstep. It seems as if no specific plans are in place for this event, based on the current and future budget. The bigger, professional codes, which are soccer, rugby and cricket, are deemed to be more important than the Olympic codes. After the Beijing fiasco, one would have assumed that the government would have explored the reasons behind other countries' successes and started with a national academy and academies within all the provinces. An even-handed approach will do much to arrest any demoralisation, which can be caused by a perception that some codes are more important than others.
Daar is alreeds veel ges van die "drugs" ... [Much has already been said about these drugs ...]
The SA Institute for Drug-free Sport had unqualified audit reports for the past few years. This body should be funded fully to meet the need for international standards.
As ons net na vandag se sportgedeelte in Die Burger kyk: Fietsry, die Tour de France begin vandeesweek en ons Saids wil "on par" wees met die wreld. Hulle moet "on par" wees. Dit gaan lelik wees as ons eie sportlui by die groot sportbyeenkomste uitgevang word vir "drugs". (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[If we just take a look at the sports section of Die Burger of today: Cycling, the Tour de France is commencing this week and our Saids would want to be on par with the rest of the world. They ought to be. It would be terrible if our sportsmen and women were to be found guilty of doping at major sporting events.]
Finances remain a big challenge for young athletes who want to attend trial games, training camps and eventually tournaments, as the cost of it is too high. The result is a privileged few who can attend these tournaments. The rural areas are mostly affected, as everything is held in areas where they have to travel long distances.
As stated in the state of the nation address of the hon President, there is a need for large-scale investment in sports development, the revival of school sport, and the role of the curriculum where teachers play an important role.
So, ons moet seker maak dat die onderwysers 'n belangrike rol hier speel. [We therefore have to ensure that teachers play an important role in this.]
This brings us to school sport, which should be left in the hands of our teachers and those who were previously in the teaching profession.
The United School Sport Association of South Africa, Usassa, was seen as a structure from the previous era. We understand why the ANC wanted to do away with this structure, but school sport has been left in limbo. It is important to have a similar, national school sports structure.
Fifteen years after democracy, schools in poorer communities still lack sports infrastructure. This needs to be rectified as a priority if we are serious and committed in growing the sport by developing all the communities in our beloved country.
Die 2010-toernooi het miljarde rande gekry. Nou hoekom dan die begroting heeltemal sny, waar dit eerder afgeskaal kan word om hierdie nood aan te spreek? [Billions of rands were allocated to the 2010 tournament. Why is the budget being cut completely, instead of it being scaled down to address this need?]
It is pleasing to note the provision for mass participation in the Budget: Community mass participation, school sport mass participation, love life games and farm school sport. However, this is a noble vision under serious threat of not being realised, unless the various programmes are condensed into one properly managed and co-ordinated programme. I thank you. [Time expired.]