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Sports Minister Nathi Mthethwa has hit out at a statement released by the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) - in which they stated the 'Ultimate Human Race' will go ahead as planned on Sunday, 14 June 2020 - pending a final decision on 17 April - calling it "irresponsible".
On Tuesday‚ CMA chairperson Cheryl Winn said in a statement: “With nearly three months to go to Comrades 2020‚ the CMA board has decided that it is premature to postpone this year’s Comrades Marathon.
“We will however continue to monitor the situation on a daily basis and will make a decision by 17 April, depending upon how the situation evolves, on whether to postpone the Comrades 2020 to a date later in the year.”
Numerous events across all sporting codes have been cancelled, postponed or suspended after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s declared the coronavirus outbreak a national disaster last Sunday. One of the key measures highlighted in his speech to stem the spread of the virus was the prohibition of gatherings of 100 people or more.
The Comrades Marathon has an entry cap of 25 000 runners, at least 1 000 of which are foreign nationals.
According to the TimesLIVE website, Mthethwa was speaking at a meeting on Tuesday with various sports stakeholders - including the SA Football Association (SAFA)‚ the Premier Soccer League (PSL)‚ Cricket South Africa (CSA) and SA Rugby - in response to the coronavirus outbreak which, as of Wednesday morning, 85 confirmed infections in South Africa.
Mthethwa condemned the stance taken by the CMA.
“It was an irresponsible statement that was made earlier today by Comrades Marathon that they will go on like nothing has happened. We want to reiterate that nothing will go on. Comrades Marathon will never go on.
Whether the 2020 Comrades Marathon goes ahead or not, remains to be seen. This year's race is due to be the 95th edition and is scheduled to be a 'Down Run' from Pietermaritzburg to Durban.
It will be the 47th 'Down Run' in Comrades history.
The race will start at the Pietermaritzburg City Hall and cut-off is 12 hours later at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, covering a distance of 90.2km.
The President of @AthleticsSA, Aleck Skhosana, has just reassured me that the #ComradesMarathon will NOT go ahead and he will ensure that all relevant parties and participants are informed.
— Min. Nathi Mthethwa (@NathiMthethwaSA) March 17, 2020
Please note: By law, no athletics event will go ahead without prior government approval.
