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.”

The ASA Board has consequently recommended to its membership that, “to the extent CMA previously applied for direct membership to ASA, it is advisable that their application be entertained”.

The proposal is significant because the CMA has maintained that it should have a more direct relationship with ASA rather than operate through KZNA, which ASA recognises as its provincial member responsible for athletics in KwaZulu-Natal.

The Comrades Marathon has increasingly found itself at the centre of the dispute after ASA confirmed earlier this month that the 2027 centenary race had not been sanctioned and had been omitted from its official athletics calendar. The CMA, however, has insisted that the race will proceed and that runners will not require an ASA licence to participate in the 2027 event.

ASA's latest position does not amount to an immediate resolution. The Board's recommendation must still be considered and approved by the ASA General Council, with the federation announcing that it will convene an urgent Special General Meeting on Monday, 31 August at 18:30 to vote on the matter.

The timing is significant, with the wider dispute attracting the attention of government and SASCOC. ASA says restoring the relationship is vital “to demonstrate to the athletics fraternity that there can be unity in the sport” and to satisfy stakeholders, including the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture and SASCOC, which was appointed as mediator and adviser to the minister.

However, the proposed compromise comes with an important condition concerning KZNA.

“ASA will not alienate KZNA from oversight and a financial interest in the revenue generated from the hosting of the race,” the circular states.

That suggests the national federation is attempting to find a structure that could give the CMA a direct relationship with ASA while retaining a role for KZNA as the recognised provincial athletics body.