Skinstad: No More ‘patch-up Job’ For South Africa

Speaking exclusively to Sportindustry.biz’s sibling website in South Africa, Bobby Skinstad, the former Springbok captain, has stated that staging the 2010 World Cup has enabled South Africa to move forward from the ‘patch-up job’ approach to solving some of the country’s wider social issues.

In a one-on-one interview with Sportindustry.co.za, Skinstad, who has been unveiled as the Facilitator of the Judges for the inaugural Virgin Active Sport Industry Awards 2011 in South Africa, explained:

‘For South Africa, this World Cup has brought charity into our sporting culture big time. People have realised that there is a lot that needs to be done and have reacted to that realisation in a very proactive way. South African sport is now much more hands-on in this regard than it ever has been before.

‘The positivity to change the negative elements of our culture has always been there, but in the past we’ve probably been guilty of doing things on the run. Historically it’s been more of a patch-up job with no real focus. More than anything else the World Cup has brought about a more structured approach to dealing with our problems.’

Already signed up as an Ambassador for the Virgin Active Sport Industry Awards 2011, Skinstad has extended his involvement to include acting as Facilitator of the Judges – a role in which he will be responsible for leading the debate through which the inaugural Awards’ winners will be chosen.

Read the full interview with Bobby Skinstad and find out more about the Virgin Active Sport Industry Awards in South Africa by visiting www.sportindustry.co.za.