The selection policy directive specifies that there will be no continental qualification route, but where only a continental route is applicable, additional athletes will be added.

A total of 28 Olympic and 21 Paralympic sports are due to be contested in Rio de Janeiro with 11 National Federations - 10 Olympic and one Paralympic - requesting consideration of continental qualification.

Two of these National Federations  have yet to sign the selection policy, which has been agreed upon four years after the establishment of a working group, represented by all sectors of the SASCOC membership.

"Athletes and coaches go through highs and lows in the run up to big Games such as the Olympics Games," said SASCOC President Gideon Sam.

"In setting criteria for selection, the idea is to help the athletes know where they stand with the Confederation and to prepare themselves adequately."

With the exception of not considering continental places, Tubby Reddy, the SASCOC chief executive, claimed they not deviated from the policies and qualification systems of International Federations and the International Olympic Committee for the Games, which celebrate its one-year countdown on Wednesday (August 5). 

"Athletics and swimming do not have to attain two qualification standards as was the case in 2012 [at the London Olympic and Paralympic Games]," he said.

"However measures will be put in place to ensure that athletes are not carrying any injuries and are fit for competition."

South Africa finished 23rd overall at the London 2012 Olympics, winning six medals, including three gold.

The gold medals were won by swimmers Cameron van der Burgh and Chad le Clos in the men's 100 metres breaststroke and 200m butterfly, and the men's light coxless four in rowing. 

In the Paralympics, South Africa finished 17th with a total of 29 medals, eight of them gold.

Further to the announcement of the selection criteria at Olympic House, SASCOC’s general manager of high performance, Ezera Tshabangu, confirmed that the body’s ongoing OPEX (Operation Excellence) programme, which provides prospective medal-winners for Rio 2016 financial and logistical support, has been reviewed.

SASNOC held meetings with all but five of the 71 athletes on the programme, as well as coaches, as it aimed to address preparation plans for the upcoming International Association of Athletics Federations World Championships, as well as next year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Tshabangu highlighted that the OPEX contracts for the period April 1 to September 30 had been finalised and sent to athletes, with only a few still outstanding.

"It is important for coaches and athletes to interact with National Federations and the Sports Confederations to understand the rationale behind how athletes remain on the OPEX programme and what is required to remain on this very important support programme," added Sam.

"The members of the public through the media also take a keen interest in the information that we release from time to time on how the athletes are doing."

Allocations for the period were also approved with the Olympic programme set to receive just over 7.8 million rand (£394,000/$615,000/€558,000) and the Paralympic Programme approximately 4.5 million rand (£227,000/$355,000/€322,000). 

The next assessment period will be at the end of September, after the conclusion of most World Championships. 

An additional fund of 3 million rand  (£151,000/$236,000/€215,000) has been set aside for specialised medical support.



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