Speed skiing by Speelman for winter Olympics - by @bigbear

Skiing in South Africa who would have thought?

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I saw on the news the other evening that this young man was only 9 years old when he started doing this sport.

It is not something you can do for long times in South Africa but when there is no Ice they have different ways of practicing.

It was very interesting to watch. They have iron rails with a television in front of them, and they follow the course by improvising and practising.

This young man has qualified for the Olympics twice. First in 2014 he made it with a hairbreadth but he was not allowed to go as the South African Flag did not go to the winter Olympics. They say it is because of the sanctions that was against us but SASCOC

Believe it or not the Zimbabwean flag will be there.

This young man tried his utmost and was not given the chance to go to the Russian Olympics. He had even given up a year of his school to practice, so the disappointment was not nice.

Now in 2018 he has qualified with another friend but it appears that only one can go.

While some may argue that South Africa has no business pouring funds into niche sports – much less winter sports – that argument has long been outmoded in sports development circles: all codes count, if a nation is to get serious about fulfilling the broader mandate of sports development. Given the amounts Sascoc officials are accused of spending on themselves, it is an especially bitter pill to swallow that young Speelman was not invested in.

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We are not sure yet but he might be allowed to go this year as he has qualified.

This young man Sive Speelman born in the Eastern Cape is hopefully going to the Olympics this year. We are not sure yet, but he has qualified and may just be going this year as he is a very good speed skier. On the news his father said, he had never seen him ski until the program on television and how proud he was of him.

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