As athletes around the globe focus on winning gold at the Beijing Olympics, the South African sporting world is embroiled in yet another row about politics and race. The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee boycotted a meeting of parliament's sports committee after a senior lawmaker said it was dominat-ed by "whites and Indians'' at the expense of the black majority.

當全球運動員正把焦點放在贏得北京奧運金牌上時，南非體壇正捲入另一場政治與種族紛爭。在南非一位資深國會議員表示，南非體育聯盟與奧委會被「白人和印第安人」把持，犧牲了多數黑人的權益後，奧委會決定杯葛國會體育小組的一項會議。

Olympic Committee chairman Moss Mashishi-- who is black-- said this description was "racist, derogatory and utterly repugnant.'' But ruling African National Congress lawmakers were outraged at the no-show and likened it to anarchy.

南非奧委會主席馬希希本身是黑人，他表示，這種說法「帶有種族歧視、貶意，令人極端反感。」但執政的南非民族黨議員對黑人缺席怒不可遏，形容這已形同無政府狀態。

South African sport is regularly rocked by rows that too little has been done to promote blacks who were sidelined for years by apartheid. Although national sports like cricket and even rugby have made strides toward greater racial equality, many Olympic sports like cycling, swimming and equestrian events are still dominated by white competitors and administrators.

南非體壇常因在培育黑人選手方面出力太少時起紛爭而動盪不安，黑人運動員在種族隔離期間已被停止出賽。雖然全國運動像板球，甚至橄欖球，已大步朝種族平等邁進，但多項奧運競賽項目，像自由車、泳賽和馬術仍主要由白人選手參賽和管理。

The government has so far refused to intervene. Xoliswa Sibeka, director general at the sports ministry, said there were no quick fixes to the inequality and poverty left by apartheid. Whites, who account for about 10 percent of the population, are still the wealth-iest group in South Africa. They attend schools with proper sports facilities and have access to equipment and training that poor black children don't.

政府迄今仍拒絕介入干預。體育部部長西貝卡說，種族隔離時期所留下來的黑白不平等和貧窮問題沒有什麼速成妙方。白人只占總人口的10%，但仍是南非最富有的族群。他們所上的學校有完備的運動設施，也可使用運動器材和訓練，貧窮的黑人小孩則沒有。

In this 2007 file photo, South African amputee champion sprinter, Oscar Pistorius is seen, prior to a training session in Pretoria, South Africa. Pistorius will take part in the upcoming Beijing Paralympics.

圖中這張去年的檔案照中，南非截肢短跑選手皮斯托利斯正在普勒托利亞準備上場練習。皮斯托利斯將參加即將舉行的北京殘障運動會。