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| Gamers may incur increased costs getting to provincial championships. |
Reports have surfaced that the ANC is pushing full steam ahead with the reconfiguration of South Africa's provinces. According to MyBroadband the ANC policy conference has called for a presidential commission to be set up, and for its work to be completed before the party’s elective conference in December 2017.
It seems as though the ANC is about to act on a decision that it made in 2007 in which that the number of provinces be reduced to six from the current nine.
While many gamers may not seem to think that this affect them much, it will. Few gamers realise that the government and SASCOC put a great deal of pressure on national federations to confirm to existing political boundaries.
Thus, nine provinces increase the chances of gamers representing their province and of attaining provincial colours. Similarly, a reduction of provinces will mean that fewer gamers will have the same opportunities. When one considers the financial value attached to provincial colours, whether it be rugby, swimming, cricket, esports, morabaraba, and so forth, it means that people will be disadvantaged by any such reduction of provinces.
What financial advantages, you may ask? The financial advantage of receiving provincial colours is that the person holding such colours may apply to a university for a sports bursary.
Also, with fewer provinces, there will be fewer provincial championships. This at first does not sound so bad. However, aligned with fewer provincial championships is the allied increase in costs as people will have to travel further in order to participate in events. As the size of provinces increase, so will the distances that gamers will need to travel to provincial championships and thus, so will the costs.
Allied to fewer opportunities and increased costs, comes the the increased burden of record keeping. As someone who has earned Transvaal, PWV, and Gauteng provincial colours - and who has always resided in the same area - there is the danger that provincial colours will lose a little of their meaning for those who have received it before any such 'reconfiguration'.
Not only that, but who will look after the past results.
With many national federations, the past results are simply lost.
Fortunately for gamers, with Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) having a more effective administration than most, such records are inn no danger of being lost.
However, one thing is clear, and that is in my personal opinion, that the ANC does not consider all outcomes and does not consider the harm that they do to the average South African.
While many gamers may not seem to think that this affect them much, it will. Few gamers realise that the government and SASCOC put a great deal of pressure on national federations to confirm to existing political boundaries.
Thus, nine provinces increase the chances of gamers representing their province and of attaining provincial colours. Similarly, a reduction of provinces will mean that fewer gamers will have the same opportunities. When one considers the financial value attached to provincial colours, whether it be rugby, swimming, cricket, esports, morabaraba, and so forth, it means that people will be disadvantaged by any such reduction of provinces.
What financial advantages, you may ask? The financial advantage of receiving provincial colours is that the person holding such colours may apply to a university for a sports bursary.
Also, with fewer provinces, there will be fewer provincial championships. This at first does not sound so bad. However, aligned with fewer provincial championships is the allied increase in costs as people will have to travel further in order to participate in events. As the size of provinces increase, so will the distances that gamers will need to travel to provincial championships and thus, so will the costs.
Allied to fewer opportunities and increased costs, comes the the increased burden of record keeping. As someone who has earned Transvaal, PWV, and Gauteng provincial colours - and who has always resided in the same area - there is the danger that provincial colours will lose a little of their meaning for those who have received it before any such 'reconfiguration'.
Not only that, but who will look after the past results.
With many national federations, the past results are simply lost.
Fortunately for gamers, with Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) having a more effective administration than most, such records are inn no danger of being lost.
However, one thing is clear, and that is in my personal opinion, that the ANC does not consider all outcomes and does not consider the harm that they do to the average South African.
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