SA Long Jumper Faces Alleged Death Threats Ahead of Olympics Debut, SASCOC Condemns Intimidation

• A South African athlete at his first Olympics is the target of an intimidation attack after receiving death threats
• The death threats against long jumper Jovan van Vuuren came one day before he was scheduled to compete
• The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) has strongly condemned the threats

Star South African Field Athlete Faces Alleged Death Threats Ahead of Paris 2024 Debut.

Long jumper Jovan van Vuuren became the apparent target of an attack after he received harmful personal messages.

SA athlete faces death threats

According to a rattled van Vuuren, The South African reported, his alleged intimidators directed the threats at him via WhatsApp.

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This was as the 28-year-old prepared for his event on Saturday, 3 August, one day before competing at his first Olympic Games.

The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) strongly condemned the threats against the long jumper.

SASCOC said in a statement:

"Long jumper Jovan van Vuuren competed in the men's qualification round on Sunday [4 August 2024] against the backdrop of despicable threats via WhatsApp against him and his family members.

"SASCOC has offered unconditional support to the athlete, who is receiving professional counselling from psychologists."

Briefly News understands that the threats included his family details and others about his best friend, who took his own life six years earlier in 2018.

Van Vuuren bombs out

SASCOC said the matter was handed to the authorities for investigation.

Van Vuuren's performance during the long jump qualifying saw him missing out on a spot in the final after producing a best leap of 7.70m.

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His effort placed him 23rd overall, far off a berth in the top 12 to get into the final.

Van Vuuren cited the mental impact of the messages as hampering his chances of making it through the qualifiers.

Facts about Jovan van Vuuren

Jovan van Vuuren, born on 17 July 1996, is a prominent South African field athlete known for his impressive achievements in the long jump. At 28, he earned a Commonwealth Games bronze medal and is a national champion.

Van Vuuren's personal best in the long jump is 8.30m, achieved on 9 March 2024. He also recorded a notable 100m time of 10.82 seconds, set on 3 March 2017. His long jump performance of 8.30m this season ranks him ninth in the top 100 list.

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Source: Briefly News