Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, has taken immediate steps to investigate and address the issue of food rationing and lack of hot water, amongst others, raised by SA shot put athlete Aiden Smith at the African Champs in Ghana.
“The welfare of our athletes is non-negotiable. We need to understand what led to these concerns, and our department will continue to monitor the remaining days of the competition. We look forward to welcoming our athletes home after the weekend,” McKenzie said in a statement on Thursday.
Smith laments bad conditions
In a video making the rounds on social media, Smith told the media during an interview that their living conditions as team SA have not been great and raised alarming concerns over food, lack of hot water, and blankets at the University of Ghana.
“I expected a lot when we got here. When we got into the rooms, the beds were leather. We got sheets and pillows, but no blankets; they told us we had to come with our own blankets,” Smith lamented.
“We don’t have an aircon remote; we must request it at the reception, and you are not allowed to keep it. There was no toilet paper, so we had to go ask for it. No warm water … the water is one temperature, and the tap water does not work.
“And then when it comes to eating, they fight with us and say we can’t have more than one chicken bowl. And I tell them that we need to eat, hydrate, and recover because we are athletes. Expected a lot more because I love Ghana, it is an amazing country, and I am still going to explore it, but the living conditions have not been great.”
Ghana Athletics promises to address issue
Ghana Athletics president Bawa Fuseini has since claimed that the debacle has been addressed and assured that things will go smoothly until the last day of the events on Sunday.
“I would like to assure everyone that we have taken notice of what happened yesterday [Wednesday], and we have taken steps to address all those issues,” Fuseini told the media.
“Right from the issue of food, accommodation, timing, and electricity. So, we have addressed that, and we say that everything is going smoothly.
“I also heard that people have not been getting the results that they have wanted, but they are available on the TIC [Technical Information Centre], and if you go there, the technical delegates will make the results available to everyone.
“I will assure the Ghanaians, the entire continent, and the whole world that Ghana is prepared, and we will do whatever it takes to make this competition a success.
“Even if there were some hiccups, we always make sure we come up with some good solutions and put measures in place. What we saw, there will be improvements going forward until the last day of the competition,” he added.
Despite the challenges, Smith went on to win the Men’s Shot Put event in the 2026 African Senior Athletics Championships after throwing a distance of 20.01 metres.
- South African shot put athlete Aiden Smith raised concerns about poor living conditions at the African Championships in Ghana, citing issues like food rationing, lack of hot water, no blankets, and limited amenities at the University of Ghana.
- Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie immediately initiated an investigation and promised ongoing monitoring of conditions for SA athletes during the competition.
- Ghana Athletics president Bawa Fuseini acknowledged the problems and assured that the issues with food, accommodation, timing, and electricity have been addressed and improvements will continue until the event ends.
- Despite the reported challenges, Aiden Smith won the Men’s Shot Put event with a throw of 20.01 meters at the 2026 African Senior Athletics Championships.
- Both South African officials and Ghanaian athletics authorities expressed commitment to ensuring athlete welfare and the success of the competition going forward.
