702, Friday night

What they're supposed to be doing. And what about the athletes speaking out? Is there even space for them to do so? Because one of the troubling aspects of these disputes is that athletes sometimes find themselves caught between their sporting ambitions and also their need to challenge the very institutions that they depend on. And I know, Wesley, you've written about these athletes being sanctioned for speaking out against federations, being found to have brought federations into disrepute by speaking out to.

The point that they face possible suspensions or restrictions? Absolutely. There's multiple people who have tried over the years. Anne Ashworth, the ultra-distance runner who won the Comrades Marathon, I think back in 2018, she was selected for the World 100-kilometer championships team, spoke out against Athletics South Africa at the time and faced suspension.

Other athletes have told me in private that they have tried speaking up and they've essentially been threatened, not necessarily by the current administration, but by previous administrations, that if you don't fall in line, we're not going to select you for the Olympics. We're not going to select you for the World Championships or the African Championships. And obviously, that damages their careers. They need to be able to compete in these events. So their hands are kind of tied. And we have seen Tatiana Smith, who's obviously now a

That she's going to be swimming for the Netherlands. She has spoken up this year. You know, at the time she was retired, this was before she announced that she was making a comeback to the sport. She did speak up. And I think she was in a position to be able to do that because she wasn't competing at the time, because she wasn't facing danger of suspension, and probably because she had already made the decision at that point that she was going to be swimming for the Netherlands. But it's unfortunate that an athlete has to be in that comfortable space where they're not.

To get hurt, where their careers are not going to be damaged in order to speak up. I think, especially as professionals at elite athletes at the highest level, they should have a voice. They should be allowed to speak up. They should be allowed to say, I'm not happy with this situation without facing serious consequences that could damage their careers. Yeah. All right. So, after the latest in eyewitness news headlines, we'll take your calls and your WhatsApps. I'd like to know what your thoughts are. Are these spoilers?