An administrative bungle has cost promising Western Cape amateur boxer Asemahle Sentile the opportunity to represent South Africa at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Sentile, 16, was expected to do well at the national boxing trials in Pretoria to earn himself a place in the Olympic squad - but a lack of funds meant he was unable to make it to the trials.

Two other Western Cape candidates - Sandiso Kota and Sinethemba Blom - were able to go to Pretoria because they are students at the University of the Western Cape, who paid their fares.

The South African National Boxing Organisation (Sanabo), which organised the trials, initially blamed the Western Cape sports department for Sentile's failure to turn up at the trials.

But the department has since shifted the blame to Sanabo Western Cape.

In accusing the Western Cape sports department for the problem, Sanabo president, Andile Mofu, said: "When provincial structures are not able to assist financially, it becomes a very serious issue for us because we rely on them. We, as Sanabo, do not have money. Maybe we do not make enough noise about these things.

"We need intervention from the highest order (the sports ministry)."

But Western Cape culture and sport MEC, Theuns Botha, explained in a statement that a request for financial help from Sanabo Western Cape came to his department only on February 13. The trials, which were initially supposed to be held in Rustenburg until the North West sports department pleaded poverty, start tomorrow and end on Saturday in Pretoria.