The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee has renewed its partnership with the country’s National Lotteries Commission ahead of the 2016 summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
NLC will provide SASCOC with R70m (€4.3m/$4.7m) in funding as part of its continued association. The money will be put towards the South African teams at this year’s Olympics and Paralympics, as well as the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Games.
SASCOC confirmed that some funding would be set aside for athlete preparation ahead of Rio 2016, which will take place from August 5-21. This year’s Paralympics will be staged from September 7-18.
NLC’s partnership with SASCOC dates back to when South Africa was readmitted to the Olympic Games in 1992.
“The NLC has been involved in funding our development and OPEX programmes which ultimately results in the preparation of our world-class athletes,” Gideon Sam, president of SASCOC, said.
“The public’s support is also appreciated because the money they use to purchase lotto tickets go a long way towards supporting Team SA and adding to their success. We can assure the NLC that their support and continued association with SASCOC has enabled our athletes to compete at the highest levels of international sports. This sponsorship is an indication that the NLC has full confidence in our athletes as well as SASCOC’s ability to deliver a successful Games.”