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Cape Town - Athletics South Africa (ASA) president Aleck Skhosana has delivered his message loud and clear when it comes to the Tokyo Olympics.
Following their disastrous performance at the IAAF World Championships in Doha - at which South Africa failed to win a single medal - ASA is hoping for a better showing at next year's global showpiece.
At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, the South African athletic team took home four medals - two gold and two silver.
Skhosana has made it clear that he wants more from an already injury-stricken athletic team, which includes 400m Olympic champion Wayde van Niekerk.
"The mandate is very clear. We must be able to win medals at the Tokyo Olympics," Skhosana said in a press release on Thursday.
"We want even more medals than we won in Rio in 2016 and we want our athletes to be ready, especially in the sprints, the relays and the jumps. Some athletes are injured but they must come back and do what they are supposed to do."
READ | Q&A | ASA president Aleck Skhosana
Skhosana was candid in his response and stated that he does not want to send people to Tokyo if they cannot win medals.
"If we are not going to go there and deliver what is expected of us, then we should not go there. We are not visitors. That's our policy and philosophy at ASA. We send people who are going to fly the flag of the Republic of South Africa."
The 2020 Olympic Games is scheduled to get under way on July 24 and end on August 9.
- Compiled by Lynn Butler
