South African athlete Marlie Viljoen has revealed that conditions at the ongoing African Senior Athletics Championship in Accra have improved significantly following early complaints about the treatment of athletes.
The championship, being staged at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium, initially came under scrutiny after South African shot putter Aiden Smith accused organisers of rationing food for athletes at the Games Village during the opening days of the competition.
Smith’s comments triggered widespread debate, prompting a response from Ghana’s National Sports Authority (NSA). Deputy Director-General of the NSA, Veronica Commey, dismissed the allegations at a press conference, insisting that investigations had shown the claims to be false.
Speaking in the mixed zone after her event, Viljoen acknowledged the initial challenges but praised organisers for making noticeable improvements in recent days.
“I understand it’s not the best of circumstances, but they have improved immensely over the last two days,” the 400m athlete said.
“The food last night was amazing, but you know this is Africa, we are all going through the same thing, the circumstances are the same for everyone, so I just try to cancel that out and get to the start line,” she added.
The comments from Viljoen are likely to ease some of the criticism surrounding the championship as organisers continue efforts to address concerns raised by participating athletes.
