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Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) members yesterday voted to go it alone, but immediately afterwards the association’s chair, Mark Leathers, said they remained open to discussions. The ramifications of the split are potentially huge, with CMA taking over its own broadcasting rights, which until now were owned by Athletics South Africa (ASA), which sell them as part of a package including the Two Oceans Marathon, the Cape Town Marathon (CTM), and the national track and field championships. The breakaway devalues ASA’s package significantly.ASA acting CEO Terrence Magogodela has written a report, leaked to the Sunday Times, which warns of attempts by CMA and CTM to take control of their own rights by going to the Competition Commission. Yesterday’s vote circumvents that process. Laying out ASA’s struggling financial position, Magogodela said in the report, yet to be presented to council, that ASA was creating a commercial arm, having already registered a company called Premier Athletics League to procure funding by exploiting image, marketing and broadcasting rights.Directors will be independent people “from various commercial fields to source funding and sponsorships on behalf of ASA”. CMA members who attended the special general meeting (SGM) yesterday voted overwhelmingly against reaffiliating with KwaZulu-Natal Athletics (KZNA).They cut ties last year amid a dispute with the provincial body about its status. KZNA said CMA was a club, and therefore all its voting members had to live in the province, as required by ASA’s domicile rule for clubs. But CMA members countered that the association is not a club, meaning there is no restriction on its membership.A group of CMA members took the matter to court, but judgment has yet to be handed down in the matter. CMA had wanted to affiliate with ASA, but the national body’s acting president, John Mathane, recently told them that wasn’t possible and they had to belong to the provincial body. CMA members had two votes yesterday. In the first, 873 members voted to put CMA first, while 229 opted for an accommodative approach. In the second ballot, 694 members voted against reaffiliation with KZNA, while 338 supported rejoining. Our door remains completely open, and we want to engage, but history and our members have determined that we cannot engage on the same terms [as those of] the past 30 years— Mark Leathers, Comrades Marathon Association chairIndustry insiders believe the move gives CMA more leverage in potential negotiations, forcing KZNA and ASA to rethink their stances — which haven’t changed in more than 30 years. Leathers said they would probably contact KZNA and ASA in the coming week and tell them they were willing to engage with them. “Our door remains completely open, and we want to engage, but history and our members have determined that we cannot engage on the same terms [as those of] the past 30 years.“That’s why it hasn’t worked.”Leathers said they wanted ASA and KZNA to reconsider the changed landscape and bring a different approach to negotiations. “We’ve got one immediate concern. We want an undertaking [from them] that [they] will not actively attempt to stand in the way of the race organisation [for 2027]. “[We want an assurance they] will not try to persuade municipal departments not to give approvals, that [they] will not obstruct the race organisation, and also that [they] will not attempt to sanction licensed members.”Legally, they don’t really have the grounds to do itLicensed members include technical officials. “That is the stick they’ve been using. [They have been] saying, ‘If you run Comrades and Comrades isn’t sanctioned, we are going to suspend you.’ “That would be punitive for no real reason,” added Leathers, a lawyer. “Legally, they don’t really have the grounds to do it.”He said the disciplinary powers of KZNA and ASA were there so that the bodies could deal with misconduct, not so that they could use them against people participating in activities they presided over.Leathers said the decision should not affect the thousands of regular Comrades runners, who would continue trying to qualify at races that are officially sanctioned.“They belong to a club because in order to run a 10k, in order to run a 21k, in order to run a 42k, [all of which are] Comrades qualifiers, you need to have a licence.”ASA is set to hold an SGM on August 15. Magogodela and a KZNA official declined to comment at this stage.
