…as LTA confirms switch as taekwondo star is formally released
Leemisa Thuseho
THE Lesotho Taekwondo Association (LTA) has confirmed that taekwondo star, Michelle Tau, is no longer a Lesotho athlete after formally requesting to represent South Africa and subsequently being released by the association.
The development puts to rest speculation over Tau’s sporting allegiance after she recently posted a picture on Facebook showing what appeared to be a South African passport. Tau did not indicate on the post whether the passport belonged to her.
While the LTA could not confirm whether Tau had acquired South African citizenship, it confirmed that she has been released to compete under the South African flag.
LTA interim committee secretary-general, Mabote Archie, said Tau formally requested her release last year.
“Michelle asked in writing to be removed from the Lesotho taekwondo database as she wanted to represent South Africa,” Archie told the Lesotho Times this week.
“We still have that letter in our records. We released her after the South African sports mother body, the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), also made it clear that they wanted her to represent their country.
“The athlete was then assisted to follow all the required procedures and she was released.
“With that said, Michelle Tau is officially a South African athlete. She has been removed from our database.”
Archie, however, stressed that the association could not verify whether Tau had secured a South African passport.
“That we cannot confirm, but what we know is that we have released her to represent South Africa,” he said.
For the LTA, the decision means losing one of the country’s most accomplished taekwondo talents, a move Archie admitted was difficult to accept.
“It was not a nice experience because even the way it came to us sounded as if we were blocking the move, but in the end we let her go as per her wish,” he said.
The transfer has, however, caught Lesotho’s sports authorities off guard.
Lesotho Sports and Recreation Commission (LSRC) public relations officer, Jobo Raswoko, said the commission was not aware that Tau had been released to represent South Africa.
“I tried to find out from our offices, but it appears that LSRC is not aware of such developments,” Raswoko told the Lesotho Times.
Former LSRC committee president, Litšitso Motšeremeli, also said the committee had never dealt with an issue concerning Tau’s move to South Africa.
Attempts to obtain comment from Tau were unsuccessful.
Tau’s departure represents a significant loss for Lesotho taekwondo, with the athlete having established herself as one of the country’s standout talents on the international stage.
For years, however, Tau had raised concerns about the lack of support she received from the country’s sports authorities, including the LSRC and the Lesotho National Olympic Committee (LNOC).
Ahead of the previous Olympic Games, Tau was among the beneficiaries of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Olympic Solidarity Athletes Scholarship Programme, which provided support to athletes preparing for the Games.
However, as the road to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles gathers pace, Tau has not featured in any of the Olympic scholarship programmes offered to Lesotho athletes this time around.
Her decision to switch sporting allegiance is therefore not entirely unexpected.
Last year, the Lesotho Times reported that Tau was considering changing nationality and competing under a foreign flag because of what she felt was inadequate support at home.
At the time, Tau was a member of PTC Taekwondo Club, whose trainer, ’Nyane Chaka, confirmed that the athlete had previously expressed her desire to switch nationality, although she had not yet made a formal request in writing.
Tau previously carried Lesotho’s flag at the Olympic Games, representing the country alongside leading marathoners, Tebello Ramakongoana and Mokulubete Makatisi.
She now begins a new chapter in her international career under South Africa, leaving behind a Lesotho taekwondo programme that had once counted her among its brightest hopes.
