IOC rejects SA Hockey appeal

Cape Town - The South African Hockey Association (SAHA) has confirmed that neither the men or women's hockey teams will feature at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. 

This comes after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) reviewed an appeal lodged by the International Hockey Federation and submitted on behalf of SAHA.

The IOC however ruled in favour of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) decision that the hockey teams would not go to Rio. 

"It is with great sadness that we receive this news," said SAHA CEO Marissa Langeni in a statement released on Thursday. 

"We accept and respect the final decision of the IOC. We will continue our efforts to lobby for the review of the general qualification criteria of SASCOC beyond the 2016 Olympic Games.”

In May, SASCOC had agreed on certain Olympic qualification criteria for the Rio 2016 Olympics.

All relevant sporting codes eligible for Olympic participation then signed documents agreeing with the qualification standards as set out by SASCOC.