Athletics South Africa makes major concession in bid to end Comrades Marathon impasse

The first of three entry windows for the 2027 Comrades Marathon closed within one day.

Athletics South Africa has made a significant move towards resolving its increasingly bitter dispute with the Comrades Marathon Association, recommending that the race organiser's previous application for direct membership of the national federation be reconsidered.

The development comes as pressure mounts on the two organisations to restore their fractured relationship, with SASCOC acting as mediator and the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture also closely involved.

In a circular to its general membership on Friday, ASA acknowledged that its preferred solution – for the CMA and KwaZulu-Natal Athletics (KZNA) to restore their previous working relationship – was unlikely to happen in the immediate future.

“ASA’s stance has always been that KZNA and CMA should exhaust all efforts to reach agreement and restore the working relationship that prevailed for many years,” the circular states. “But the ASA Board has now come to the conclusion that for present purposes, that wish may be a bridge too far to be achieved.”