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Cape Town - South African javelin thrower Sunette Viljoen has hit out at the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc).
Viljoen recently wrote a newspaper column in which she revealed some truths about how Sascoc treats athletes who belong to its “Opex” (Operation Excellence) programme.
Viljoen claims the programme is not worth its title as it only covers the most basic athlete expenses.
She says there is no stipend for nutrition, one of the most important parts of being an elite athlete.
According to Viljoen, there is also no assistance for big medical expenses, should athletes no longer have funds available from their medical aid.
Every month, athletes have to scan every single receipt relating to their job and send it to Sascoc. Once they have put in a claim, they often have to wait weeks before their costs are reimbursed.
Viljoen also took to Twitter, saying Sascoc had reacted angrily to the claims she made.
Viljoen, 31, finished fourth in the women’s javelin throw at the 2012 Summer Olympics, only 0.38 cm off the bronze medal winning mark.
At the recently concluded IAAF World Championship in Beijing, Viljoen picked up the bronze medal.
