The African Hockey Federation has expressed its disappointment over South Africa’s decision to withdraw their male and female hockey teams from the ongoing African Games, Accra 2023.
President of the African Hockey Federation, Seif Ahmed, conveyed this sentiment during a press briefing in Accra, emphasizing their commitment to participate in the competition.
South Africa withdrew from the hockey tournament at the ongoing African Games citing the unreadiness of the Theodosia Okoh hockey pitch.
According to South African Hockey officials, the pitch was unsuitable for international-standard competition, as they were compelled to pull out following advice from carpet-laying experts that the pitch could cause harm to their athletes.
This comes as a surprise because South Africa’s male and female hockey teams had qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games after competing on the old turf at the Theodosia Okoh Hockey Pitch in Accra during the African Cup of Nations in 2022.
Therefore, the President of the African Hockey Federation disputed this justification, saying the Theodosia Okoh Hockey pitch is safe for participating countries for the 13th African Games being staged in Accra, Ghana.
Ahmed highlighted that South Africa’s withdrawal did not follow due process and questioned the validity of their safety concerns regarding the turf.
The President of the African Hockey Federation noted that while South Africa had concerns about injuries and preparation for the Olympic Games, the federation’s primary focus was on ensuring the safety of athletes.
He clarified that the pitch had not yet been laid when the photos circulated by South Africa were taken, making it impossible to assess its quality accurately.
Mr. Ahmed admitted that they had challenges getting the venue ready for the competition on time due to delays by the contractor.
“Of course if we take over the turf late we cannot certify it. But, from our experience, we know it is safe to be used.”
He said prior to the start of the hockey competition at the African Games, there were meetings by the participating federations to decide whether to play the games or not.
However, he said all six competing federations agreed to compete in the hockey event, with the South African hockey officials not raising any concerns about the suitability of the pitch.
“We had challenges to finish the turf in time; it was out of our hands at the African Hockey Federation and LOC. I would like to thank the LOC for trying to bring the best of hockey to Africa, and we consider the safety of all players very important.
“The rules of the Federation of International Hockey indeed say the pitch has to be certified, but that is for a qualifying event, and we all know the African Games hockey competition is not a qualifying tournament.
“With our experience, we can decide whether it was dangerous to play on the turf or not, and already six matches have been played on the turf with no major issues, and the players are enjoying the matches,” he said.
He also noted that in the whole of Africa, it was only South Africa that had international-certified turf, and they are working vigorously as a federation to get more certified hockey turf on the continent.
The new surface installed at the pitch is of the highest quality, similar to that to be used at the Paris Olympics.
Despite South Africa’s withdrawal from hockey, they are competing in seventeen other disciplines at Accra 2023 with a sizable contingent of 346 athletes.
The African Games, featuring over 5,000 athletes from 54 countries and twenty-nine different sporting disciplines across Accra and Cape Coast, continue with hockey facing a setback due to South Africa’s absence.