EPaper

Women put men in the shade on the medals table

David Isaacson

Women have won more Commonwealth Games medals than men for the first time since 1994, but Birmingham 2022 was SA’s worst showing in 28 years.

Team SA closed their campaign on Monday with 27 medals, seven of gold, and languishing ninth on the standings, having been overhauled by nations such as Wales, Nigeria and Scotland.

The men’s hockey team brought the curtain down on SA’s participation on Monday, going down 6-3 in their bronzemedal showdown against England. It was their best Games showing, and by halftime, when the scores were 3-3 after an explosive six-goal second quarter, they looked like they were in it.

But experience told in the end as the hosts took control.

They were the last chance to draw the men level with the women, who ended with 14 medals to the men’s 13. The last time they outperformed the men was in 1994, SA’s first Commonwealth venture after readmission, capturing seven of the team’s 11 gongs.

But this is no cause for celebration because this does not represent growth in local women’s sport. At Manchester 2002 and Melbourne 2006 the women also contributed 14 medals — they have merely got back to where they were two decades ago.

If women’s sport has stagnated for two decades, men’s sport has gone backwards, delivering almost half — or less —

than in previous years. The men won 26 medals in 1998, 32 in 2002, 24 in 2006, 25 in 2010, 30 in 2014 and 26 in 2018.

Nine codes contributed to the 2022 medal tally, almost on par with the previous six Games — it was seven sports in 2018, 10 in 2014, seven in 2010, eight in 2006, nine in 2002 and nine in 1998. From 1998 to 2018 Team SA hovered between fifth and seventh on the medals table. They were fifth in 1998 and 2002, sixth in 2006, 2010 and 2018. In 2014 they were seventh.

One cannot even blame track and field, which lost a few medal hopefuls because of withdrawals. They won three medals, which is comparable to Delhi 2010, where some of the athletics team went Awol, leaving those who competed to win four gongs.

Team SA still ended with 33 medals then, the lowest haul in the 1998-2018 era.

Birmingham 2022 illustrates an all-round slide in SA sport, except perhaps in swimming.

One factor is that other nations are reaping the rewards from their sports programmes, which enjoy proper funding.

SPORTSDAY

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2022-08-10T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-08-10T07:00:00.0000000Z

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