View this post on Instagram
Though surfing has made its way into the Olympics, it is still not a part of the Paralympics. As a result, some countries are unable to find funding to send athletes to international para surfing events. In the case of South Africa, this has led to nearly half of the para surfing team dropping out of the ISA World Para Surfing Championship.
“We started off with 15, we’re now looking at going with eight, and it’s because of what you’ve got to pay,” Anne Wright, vice-president of Surfing South Africa (SSA), told the Daily Maverick.
Part of the hurdle is that the championship has always been held in the United States. This year will be no different, with the event taking place in Huntington Beach, California. While this is convenient for Americans, who traditionally field large teams and perform well overall, South African athletes have to find a way to pay for a week-long trip abroad. This year, para surfers are expected to pony up around R70,000 (a little over $3,600 US dollars). For many, this is impossible without some form of outside funding.
Noluthando Makalima qualified for the ISA Para Surfing Championships after taking first place in the Prone 2 category at the SA Para Surf Championships in May. The 34-year-old has represented South Africa twice before at the World Championships, sponsored by an anonymous donor. However, this year she will not be able to compete. “It breaks my heart that I can’t participate. This year I wanted to come home with a gold medal,” she said.
In previous events, athletes had been sponsored by charitable foundations, but that funding source has run dry this year. “In Durban the MadeForMore, and in Cape Town there’s been the Roxy Davis foundation,” said Wright. “I think they’re tapped out, they’ve raised thousands to get these athletes away… It’s always in America so it’s always very hard because it’s expensive.”
The loss of funding has led para surfers to turn to South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), but the organization says its hands are tied. “The problem with para surfing, it is currently not on the Paralympic program,” said Leon Fleiser, general manager of high performance at SASCOC. “Therefore it is not on our funding mandate because our money is going to para athletics, para swimming, para equestrian, etc. Because we also don’t have a lot of money, we’re squeezing everything we can to try to qualify and prepare as many Paralympic athletes for Paris 2024.”
