South African Swimmers Have To Pay For Trip To World Championships In Barcelona

South African swimmers, including Olympic Gold Medalist Chad le Clos, "will have to pay their own way to compete in the FINA World Championships in Barcelona later this year as their cash-strapped federation cannot fund their trip," according to Nick Said of REUTERS. The swimming federation lost its major sponsor last year as South African telecom company Telkom "pulled the plug" on its $1.25M per year deal. Swimming South Africa CEO Shaun Adriaanse said that the organization "has canvassed extensively for a new backer, but that there have been no takers." Bert le Clos, who manages his son Chad, called the situation "pathetic." He said, "It's pathetic that you have to (buy) your own flight tickets. It's a disgrace when you consider the amount of medals and glory swimmers bring to this country" (REUTERS, 3/31).