Staff Reporter
Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie has approved R3 million in emergency funding to cover the national men’s and women’s hockey teams’ participation in next month’s FIH Hockey World Cup, after players faced paying tens of thousands of rand to represent the country.
The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture said on Thursday the money would address a funding shortfall at the South African Hockey Association and ensure that both teams were fully funded for the tournament in Belgium and the Netherlands.
The World Cup is scheduled to run from 15 to 30 August.
“It cannot be right that athletes who have earned that place on the world stage through years of sacrifice are then asked to fund their own participation,” McKenzie said in a statement.
“Representing your country is a national honour and a national responsibility. It should never be a personal financial burden.”
The department said the money
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