SA Raises Money for Olympic Medallists

When news broke that the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) would not be paying out bonuses to Team SA’s Olympic medallists, the country decided to take the matter into its own hands.

Earlier this week, it was reported that SASCOC would not be rewarding swimmer Tatjana Schoenmaker and surfer Bianca Buitendag for their medal-winning efforts at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

In response, Mike Sharman – the founder of MatchKit, a digital portfolio company for professional athletes – began a crowdfunding campaign on Tuesday, 10 August.

South Africans readily opened their hearts, leading the campaign to raise almost R300 000 in just 24 hours.

Speaking to a local media outlet, Sharman said: “It’s really rad to see South Africans rallying together for both Tatjana and Bianca. The fund was just a simple idea to thank them for making our country so proud during the Olympics, but it’s actually proving that we are stronger together.”

Other corporations such as Afriforum and Sea Harvest also made donations, which amounted to over R900 000!

Although SASCOC claims it would be paying Schoenmaker and Buitendag – as well as winners from the upcoming Paralympics – South Africans are still encouraged to donate to the MatchKit campaign, which will run until the end of August