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Sport and recreation
Introduction
The United Nations (UN) recognises participation in sport and recreation as a fundamental human right, which all governments should make available to their people.
South Africa was a signatory to the millennium
development goals drawn from the actions and
targets contained in the Millennium Declaration
that was adopted by 189 nations and signed by
147 heads of state and government during the UN Millennium Summit in September 2000.
Sport has the potential to build social cohesion
and national unity. South Africans were bound
together when the country won the Rugby World
Cup in 1995 and again in 2007, the African Cup of
Nations in 1996 as well as when it won the right
to host the 2010 World Cup in 2004.
Sport and Recreation South Africa (SRSA) is
responsible for developing and implementing
national policies and programmes regarding sport
and recreation in the country.
The SRSA’s objectives and key strategic areas
are to broaden the base of South African sport
within an integrated development continuum by:
- increasing the number of participants in sport and recreation
- assisting to identify and develop talent that will
address transformation
- supporting national federations, individual
athletes and teams
- developing sport and recreation clubs
- empowering the human resource base for
sports development with special emphasis on
a professional coaching infrastructure
- uplifting sport in schools
- contributing to social cohesion and peace and
development
- securing a proper development continuum and
academy system
- building basic sport facilities according to an
approved National Sports Plan.
The SRSA aims to maximise South Africa’s
chances of success in world sport by:
- improving the success rate of South Africa in
international competitions
- identifying priority sports codes
- contributing to making the 2010 Soccer World
Cup the best ever
- assisting in the preparation of the 2010 national
soccer team
- co-ordinating government’s responsibilities
regarding the 17 guarantees signed with FIFA
for the 2010 Soccer World Cup
- assisting in making the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ an African event
- making a meaningful contribution to the 2010
legacy
- supporting role models in sport
- establishing scientific infrastructure to support
elite athletes.
The SRSA aims to raise the profile of sport and
recreation and address issues of national importance,
by:
- building a case for sport and recreation
- contributing towards government priorities
through sport and recreation
- using sport as a medium to address issues of
national importance
- supporting good governance to contribute to a
case for sport and recreation
- supporting a co-ordinated and aligned sport
system through committed collaboration and
communication
- updating and enforcing a code of ethics for
South African sport (including World Anti-Doping
Agency [WADA] activities)
- strengthening South Africa’s continental and
international relations
- identifying and hosting well-organised major
sports events in South Africa
- contributing to the promotion of sports tourism
in South Africa.
The SRSA aims to streamline the delivery of
sport by means of effective support systems and
adequate resources, by:
- ensuring that systems are in place to accomplish
business excellence within the department
- developing a regulatory framework for the
department to fulfil its obligations
- endeavouring to unlock the resources required
to achieve the objectives of the SRSA
- providing the legislative framework for the
delivery of the SRSA objectives
- benchmarking world best practice in the delivery of sport and recreation
- ensuring that the department is correctly represented
at forums that could contribute to the
achievement of SRSA objectives.
Programmes
Sport Tourism Project
In May 2006, the SRSA launched the Sport Tourism
Project at the Durban Tourism Indaba.
The primary objective of the project is to attract
foreign visitors to play and watch sport and experience
traditional tourism attractions such as wildlife
and cultural heritage, to boost sport’s contribution
to the country’s gross domestic product. The
project focuses on rugby, cricket, running, cycling, golf and the 2010 World Cup.
Tourism is widely recognised as a major growth sector internationally and it is estimated that internationally 30% of all tourism comprises sports tourism.
The project has produced a number of information products aimed at increasing awareness of sport in South Africa. These include a sport atlas showing the location in the country of sport events and infrastructure; an interactive multimedia CD-Rom with text, photos and video clips; a nine-minute presentation DVD; an electronic exhibition kiosk; and a full-colour brochure.
The SRSA aims to enhance the sustainability of the project by:
Mass participation
The Siyadlala Mass Participation Programme (SMPP) is the cradle of community sport in South Africa. The programme was launched in 2005 to facilitate access to sport and recreation by as many South Africans as possible, especially those from historically disadvantaged communities. The SRSA launched the programme with a budget of R20 million.
The budget has since increased to more than R290 million with the inclusion of school sport and legacy development. Sport hubs (geographical centres of activity within five-kilometres walking radius) increased from 36 to 451 in 2007, with over three million participants in various activities including:
The eventual aim is to ensure that no child has to walk more than five kilometres to access an activity hub anywhere in the country.
The idea is to establish at least one hub in every ward in every municipality across South Africa.
The SMPP is expected to enable the sport sector to contribute to the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa. Trained youth will then be employed as activity co-ordinators.
Research conducted in the hubs indicates that small stipends given to these co-ordinators contribute to feeding up to eight families in some instances.
By mid-2007, the SMPP had trained more than 2 000 young volunteers in sport-and-recreation administration, over 1 500 entry-level coaches, over 1 200 referees and more than 2 000 people in event management and first aid.
Women and Sport
This project aims to address the gender imbalances in sport and recreation both at participation and administrative level, by:
- gender mainstreaming
- equity, access opportunities, diversity, legacy, active participation, research, leadership and skills development
- sustainable programmes through tested practice initiatives, including girl-child programmes
- making available resources and capacity
- developing mentorship programmes and role- modelling.
The programme also seeks partnerships with relevant stakeholders such as the Department of Education .
As part of the 2008 Women’s Month
celebrations, the SRSA hosted the Women in Sports Colloquium in August.
The conference, the first of its kind, created an opportunity for women to interact on various topics relating to sport and encouraged active participation of women and girls at all levels, including administration and governance.
Mass Mobilisation Programme
In January 2009, the South African Government
in partnership with the 2010 FIFA World Cup™
Organising Committee launched the 2010 Mass
Mobilisation Programme at Galeshewe Stadium in
the Northern Cape.
Some 300 schoolchildren and community
members gathered there to learn how they can
make the most of South Africa’s hosting of the
world’s foremost sporting event and use the 2010
World Cup to leave a lasting legacy for the province.
The Mass Participation Programme also aims to
ensure that all South Africans are part of the 2010
World Cup excitement by encouraging and supporting
sport in communities throughout South Africa.
In the spirit of the 2010 World Cup, the SRSA
launched the South African Schools Soccer World
Cup together with the Department of Education,
the South African Broadcasting Corporation
(SABC) and the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ Organising
Committee. This tournament for under-14 and
under-18 boys and girls will mobilise communities
until the 2010 World Cup. This project is linked
to other 2010 legacy projects such as the Supersport
One Million Ball Project for schools, which, in
addition to the training of volunteers, will contribute
to a lasting legacy.
Indigenous games
Together with the provincial departments responsible
for sport and recreation, the SRSA annually
hosts the Indigenous Games Festival in celebration
of Africa’s cultural diversity and in an effort
to revive indigenous games. The revival of these
games in South Africa evolved as a response to the
national call to embrace the African Renaissance.
This revival is intended to popularise those
cultural activities that have a particular appeal to
vast sectors of the South African society, particularly
traditional rural people. Because sport and
recreation activities are predominantly practised in
urban areas and are largely Eurocentric, the revival
of indigenous games is essential to get more South
Africans more active.
Indigenous games are a fundamental part of the
SMPP, which focuses on both vertical and horizontal
sport development. Apart from indigenous
games, the programme also incorporates, among
other things, an active inner-city programme, Women and Sport, and corporate recreation.
The indigenous games are: ugqaphu/kgati/
ntimo, diketo/upuca/magave, morabaraba/
mlabalaba, ncuva/ntijwa/tsoro/tshimaya/moruba, dibeke/diwiki/snuka/skununu/umabhorisha,
jukskei, kho-kho and iintonga/melamu/iziduku.
Recreation Rehabilitation Programme
The project focuses on inmates and aims to promote
sport and recreation participation in correctional
centres. It also aims to empower inmates in event
management and to become activity co-ordinators
in the following activities: general gymnastics, indigenous games, netball, soccer and handball.
Legacy and Mobilisation
The programme focuses on galvanising all sectors
of communities, including schools, to support the
2010 World Cup by:
- building a general climate of positive opinion
among South Africans and abroad
- building sustainable activities
- creating activities not only to preserve football
and 2010 but to celebrate pride and social cohesion.
External Mobilisation
Projects for 2008/09 included the:
- Foreign Mission Programme
- Latin American countries’ football tournaments
- Caribbean countries’ football tournaments
- Africa Youth Participation Indaba
- international exhibitions and summits
- international exchange programme.
Domestic Mobilisation and Legacy
Projects included:
- Walk for Peace and Development
- community festivals
- internal staff mobilisation
- roadshows
- mass displays
- development of music and dance
- broader football, baseball, basketball, netball, and hockey outreach initiatives
- supporter clubs
- skills development
- institutional capacity-building (clubs, schools, and communities).
School sport
School-sport events include national schools aquatics; national schools athletics; and the South African schools’ winter games, summer games and cross country.
In 2005, a framework of collaboration, entitled “Co-ordination and Management of School Sport in Public Ordinary Schools” [PDF], was signed by the
ministers of sport and recreation and education.
The framework document describes the common understanding that the SRSA and the Department of Education have about the
important role of physical activity and sport in schools. Besides emphasising the importance of providing all children with access to physical
activity at school, the document also touches on teacher capacity-building, sports facilities and the importance of linking school sport to issues of
national importance such as HIV and crime prevention.
The framework describes the responsibility of each of the two government departments as far as school sport goes. It matches levels of responsibility with specific activities and target groups. In broad terms, the Department of Education is responsible for:
- intracurricular activities, including Physical Education in schools
- intraschool activities, including afterschool sports activities
- interschool activities and competitions below regional level
- regional and intraprovincial activities and competitions, in collaboration with provincial sports and education authorities.
The SRSA has established the Directorate: School Sport within the Chief Directorate: Mass Participation. It consists of the Competitive School Sport and Mass Participation in School Sport programmes. It reaches about 1 600 schools nationally and focuses on capacity-building, providing sports equipment for use at events and sustaining the programme by supporting local sports assistants and local leagues and providing logistical support.
By mid-2008, a five-year school-sport programme, which was drafted for 2007 to 2011, and the co-ordinating structure were under review.
In September 2008, South Africa, Namibia, Swaziland and Botswana were represented at the Confederation of School Sport Associations of Southern Africa Ball Games Competition, which is held each year in a different Southern African Development Community (SADC) country.
The South African team walked away with four gold medals and one silver. The female teams did particularly well. Aside from the netball side, the basketball girls and boys’ teams and the boys’ volleyball teams won gold medals.
The SRSA contributed most of the cost of the team’s participation, and played a leading role in organising and managing the team.
Sporting accolades
South African Sports Awards
The SRSA and South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) are joint custodians of the South African Sports Awards, in partnership with the SABC. South African sports stars are presented with awards for their efforts to keep the passion for sport alive in the hearts of millions of South Africans through their achievements in local and international sports events.
The awards, held in November each year, recognise and honour individuals and teams that have excelled both on and off the field each year as well as the critical contributions made by coaches, technical officials and volunteers who continue to keep sport running.
The 2008 winners were:
- Sportsman of the Year: Khotso Mokoena
- Sportswoman of the Year: Natalie du Toit
- Sports Team of the Year: Team SA
- Disabled Sportsman of the Year:
Hilton Langenhoven
- Disabled Sportswoman of the Year:
Natalie du Toit
- Disabled Sports Team of the Year:
Team SA
- Newcomer of the Year: Itumeleng Khune
- Coach of the Year: Gavin Hunt
- Personality of the Year: Khotso Mokoena.
Legislation
The National Sport and Recreation Amendment
Act, 2007 (Act 18 of 2007) [PDF], aims to, among other
things:
- create a new dispensation for sport and recreation
via the recognition of the Sports Confederation as the national macro body for the promotion
and development of high performance sport
in South Africa
- improve the governance of sports federations
- allow the Minister of Sport and Recreation to
intervene where the actions of federations
threaten to bring sport into disrepute
- address transformation in sport.
The Act was promulgated in November 2007.
2010 World Cup
South Africa will host the FIFA World Cup in 2010. Five stadiums are being built from scratch for world football’s showpiece event. They are:
- the Greenpoint
Stadium in Cape Town
- Mbombela Stadium
in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga
- Nelson Mandela Bay
Stadium in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape
- the Moses
Mabhida Stadium, eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal
- Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, Limpopo.
The following five existing stadiums are being
refurbished and upgraded:
- Soccer City and Ellis
Park in Johannesburg
- Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria
- the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, North
West
- Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein, Free State.
Government has reaffirmed its state of readiness
and commitment to host the 2010 World Cup. Between 2006 and 2010, government is expected
to invest more than R400 billion in the country’s
infrastructure.
South Africa will take advantage of the World
Cup opportunity to attract inward investment
(construction, manufacturing and other sectors)
and to stimulate new investment in stadiums, transport, airports, communications infrastructure, accommodation, broadcast and information technology, and financial services.
The projects are also expected to stimulate
skills development and create jobs, develop soccer
and its commercial base, and upgrade facilities to
ensure South Africa is a competitive destination for
major events.
Government will deliver according to the following
deadlines:
- December 2008 to March 2009: construction
work on selected stadiums complete (Confederations
Cup stadiums)
- April to June 2009: preparation for Confederations
Cup
- December 2009: stadium and supporting infrastructure
complete
- June 2010: World Cup.
By January 2009, the construction of all stadiums
was on schedule.
The International Broadcast Centre (IBC) will
ensure television coverage across the globe and
will cater for more than 2 000 journalists. The
South African Cabinet has approved Johannesburg
as the venue for the IBC.
On 22 September 2008, the official mascot for
the 2010 World Cup was unveiled in Johannesburg.
The mascot, a leopard, is called Zakumi and
was designed and produced exclusively in South
Africa. The name is a composition of “ZA”, standing
for South Africa, and “kumi” translating into “10” in various languages across Africa.
During the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement
in October 2008, government allocated an
additional R1,4 billion to cover cost overruns on
World Cup stadium projects, and R600 million to
cover the cost of last mile Internet (high-speed)
connectivity between the stadiums and the
national backbone network.
Government has also indicated that it will provide support for the migration to digital television to meet international broadcasting requirements for the 2010 World Cup and beyond.
Additional allocations to local government of R8,8 billion are being made to support expanded community access to housing, potable water, sanitation, electricity and public transport.
Of the total additional amount of R8,8 billion
- R2,9 billion is allocated to the local government equitable share for increased costs of basic services, particularly electricity
- R4,3 billion is earmarked for the Municipal Infrastructure Grant
- R835 million is proposed for the Public Transport Infrastructure and Systems Grant to finance an integrated public transport network in large municipalities, including World Cup cities
- R497 million is allocated for the completion of stadiums and to help host cities with operational requirements for hosting the 2009 Confederations Cup and 2010 FIFA World Cup Integrated National Electrification Programme Grant as an inflation adjustment to the baseline.
As government works to deliver its guarantees for the World Cup, it is using this opportunity to accelerate the improvement of social services in key areas, including immigration and health services. In particular, programmes to strengthen the provision of emergency medical services are being fast-tracked. Government’s World Cup projects include faster development of an efficient, sustainable and affordable public-transport system that will benefit commuters and the economy in the years following the event.
Sports organisations
South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee
The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) is recognised by the Minister of Sport and Recreation and is representative of sports bodies, including Olympic national federations.
It is the national co-ordinating macro body for the promotion and development of high performance sport in South Africa, including team presentation, and must consult with relevant sports bodies in this regard. Sascoc presents Team South Africa for all multicoded sport participating in international games, including but not limited to the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Commonwealth Games and All Africa Games.
Government agencies
Two public entities deliver specific interventions in sports and recreation in accordance with the relevant legislation through which they were constituted, namely:
Boxing South Africa
Boxing South Africa (BSA) is partly funded with public money. Its functions are to promote boxing and protect the interests of boxers and officials. Its main responsibilities are to:
- consider applications for licences from all stakeholders in professional boxing
- sanction fights
- implement the regulations pertaining to boxing
- promote the interests of all stakeholders in boxing.
South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport
The South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) is the South African national anti-doping
organisation, funded by the SRSA. Its mandate
is to promote participation in sport, free from the
use of prohibited substances or methods intended
to artificially enhance performance, in the interest
of the health and well-being of sportspeople.
The SAIDS is responsible for developing antidoping
policy and implementing a national anti-
doping programme across all South Africa’s sports
codes.
By May 2008, it had 53 part-time, accredited
doping-control officers based throughout
South Africa, trained to international standards, who conducted in-and-out of competition doping
controls on athletes from over 50 sports disciplines,
with 53 trained and accredited chaperones
to assist the doping-control officers.
The SAIDS is ISO 9001:2000 certified in compliance
with the International Standard for Testing. This is the internationally recognised benchmark
for quality assurance and excellence, and represents
world best-practice in doping control in
sport.
The SAIDS’ key focus areas are:
- Doping control: The institute conducts a comprehensive,
independent and effective national
doping-control programme on South African
athletes competing at regional, national and
international level. In 2007/08, 2 541 doping
controls were conducted. The SAIDS also
conducts in-and-out-of-competition doping
controls on international athletes on behalf of
international sports federations and other international anti-doping organisations.
- Education: The SAIDS provides education, information and awareness resources and
services for all its target groups, namely
athletes, coaches, parents, sports organisations, members of the medical and pharmaceutical
and sports-science professions,
tertiary-education institutions and the public. It provides a telephone information service
manned by qualified pharmacists (021 448
3888) that operates on weekdays, excluding
public holidays, and has a website with a database
of prohibited and permitted products in
sport that are available on the South African
market. The
website also contains up-to-date news and
information on national and international
anti-doping issues.
- Research: The SAIDS conducts sociological
research into the knowledge, attitude and use
of performance-enhancing drugs among South
African sportspeople, for the purpose of planning
and implementing effective doping control
and education programmes.
- International collaboration: South Africa is an
active participant in the global effort to combat
drugs in sport. The SAIDS collaborates closely
with its counterparts throughout the world to
achieve international harmonisation and the
improvement of standards and practices in
doping control. South Africa is a member of the
International Anti-Doping Arrangement and of
the Executive Committee of the Association of
National Anti-Doping Organisations.
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World Anti-Doping Agency
The Africa Regional Office of the World Anti-Doping
Agency (WADA) was established
in Cape Town in 2004 to co-ordinate the anti-doping activities of the agency throughout Africa. This includes promoting and maintaining effective
lines of communication between the WADA and all
the relevant stakeholders, governments and public
authorities, the broad sports movement, national
anti-doping agencies and laboratories.
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National Academy Programme
(NAP)
The NAP seeks to improve sports performance
and bring South Africa on par with other sporting
nations by creating opportunities for talented
athletes to exploit their potential to the full.
The NAP involves all tertiary institutions in the
country that provide sports science and medical
support to athletes identified by their federations
and endorsed by Sascoc. The NAP also seeks to
have a full-time residential programme and an
insurance system for athletes as well as to provide
life-skills training for them. The sports covered
include priority sports for government and those
in the programme for the Olympic, Paralympic, Commonwealth, All Africa and other identified
multisport events.
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International relations
Sport and Recreation South Africa (SRSA) has embarked on a concerted effort to
promote relations with international parties in the field of sport and recreation. This is done through the two main subprogrammes of International Liaison and International Events.
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International Liaison
This subprogramme is responsible for bilateral relations with international parties in the field of sport and recreation. In 2007, memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were signed with Bulgaria, China and the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) (North Korea), providing for exchanges of expertise by placing South African administrators, athletes and coaches on a short-term basis in centres of excellence in these countries.
South Africa renewed the Protocol of Action (PoA) with the United Kingdom (UK) in April 2007. In terms of these MoUs and PoA, South Africa also agreed to host nationals of these countries to share expertise with domestic teams and sports institutes.
Pursuant to the signing of the PoA with the UK in 2007, several coaches, administrators and athletes benefited from the UK-South Africa Sports Leadership Exchange Programme, conducted from January to June 2007. Other exchanges executed in the context of the PoA with the UK include the Leeds-Durban Sports Development Programme Joint Action Plan, which was finalised between Mangosuthu Technikon and Leeds Metropolitan University.
The UK has also been instrumental in driving the Cricket Development/Drug Awareness Programme in the Western Cape and has, in conjunction with the SRSA, undertaken an audit of exchanges organised between the two countries since 1994 to eliminate duplication.
The two countries have further exchanged coaches in rowing, swimming and netball. As a sequel to the signing of the MoU with the DPRK, six officials from the SRSA and the South African Gymnastics Federation visited Pyongyang, the capital of the DPRK, to study best practices in staging mass displays during the Arirang Festival in September 2007. A team of experts from the DPRK paid a visit to South Africa in January 2008 to explore the possibilities of imparting the capabilities for organising mass displays to South African gymnastic teams, which could be used in preparations for the Confederations Cup and the 2010 World Cup.
South Africa also hosted ministers of sport of the DPRK.
With its commitment to using sport as a vehicle for advancing regional integration, promoting social cohesion and people-to-people co-operation in southern Africa, South Africa signed the Protocol Agreement with the Zone VI Region (which consists of 10 of the 14 SADC member countries) of the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa (SCSA) in May 2007. The agreement outlined the rights and obligations of South Africa as the host of the Zone VI Under-20 Youth Games, in Potchefstroom in December 2008.
In its efforts to contribute to strengthening the African Union (AU), South Africa was represented by the Minister of Sport and Recreation,
Rev. Makhenkesi Stofile, at the inaugural meeting of the AU Ministers of Sport Conference, which
took place at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa
in June 2007.
The International Liaison Unit further rendered, among other things, the following routine services:
- the execution of 18 exchange programmes
involving 37 people
- the facilitation, in conjunction with the Department
of Home Affairs, of 1 779 cases of support
services to clients with regard to sport visas, sport work permits, South African passports, South African citizenship and permanent residence.
International Events
This subprogramme is responsible for the co-ordination and management of government’s
support services for the hosting of identified major
sporting events.
This includes National Co-ordinating Committee
meetings, which include representatives from
the departments of home affairs, foreign affairs, health, transport, environmental affairs and tourism
and the South African Revenue Service, the South
African Police Service, the National Intelligence
Agency and the Airports Company of South Africa.
Assistance to the various events is determined
by the needs of the national sporting organisations.
Members of this unit are also appointed to the
majority of organising committees for the various
approved events, as well as representing the SRSA
on the Bidding and Hosting Commission, which
falls under the auspices of Sascoc. The SRSA
assists federations to host various events.
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2008 sports highlights
Paralympics
South Africa’s paralympic team won 30 medals
at the Paralympics in Beijing. Seventeen of those
medals were gold. The “golden girl” was paralympic
swimmer Natalie du Toit, who completed
a clean sweep of victories in the five events she
entered.
With 71% of South Africa’s medals being gold, the team ended proudly in seventh place on the
medal table. Natalie du Toit was also named
winner of the Whang Youn Dai Achievement Award
at the Paralympic Games.
Oscar Pistorius, after winning the T44 100 m, was a victor in the 200 m and 400 m. Another
South African, Arnu Fourie, was sixth in
23,87 seconds.
Hilton Langenhoven struck gold twice; he scored
a world record 3 401 points to win the men’s P12
pentathlon and followed that by capturing gold in
the long jump with a Paralympic record leap of
7,31 m. Ilse Hayes joined Langenhoven and Fanie
van der Merwe as winners when she recorded a
distance of 5,68 m to win the F13 long jump.
Teboho Mokgalagadi won bronze in the men’s
T35 100 m.
Ernst van Dyk, competing in his fifth Paralymic
Games, captured gold when he won the road race
for hand cycling class C. He finished the 48,4-km
distance in one hour, 21 minutes and 40 seconds.
Phillipa Johnson won her second equestrian
gold medal in the individual freestyle test grade
four.
David Roos picked up a silver medal in the
men’s F46 long jump.
Fanie Lombard won bronze in the men’s F42 shot put with a distance of 13,87 m. He is the most successful South African athlete in the history of the Paralympics with seven gold, two silver and two bronze medals.
Gavin Kilpatrick and Michael Thomson secured bronze in the sprint for blind and vision-impaired athletes.
Marius Stander finished just out of the medals in the men’s T38 400 metres in a season’s best 52,56 seconds.
Ernst van Dyk rounded off the Paralympics for South Africa with a bronze medal in the last event of the games when he finished third in the men’s marathon T54.
Total medal count at the Paralympics, 2008
| South Africa |
Gold |
Silver |
Bronze |
Total |
| |
21 |
3 |
6 |
30 |
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Athletics
In March 2008, South Africa’s Khotso Mokoena won gold with a leap of 8,08 m in the long jump at the Athletics World Indoor Championships in
Valencia, Spain.
In April 2008, South African wheelchair athlete Ernst van Dyk won the Boston Marathon for a record seventh time. His time was one hour,
26 minutes and 49 seconds.
David Grier and Braam Malherbe became the first to run around the entire coastline of South Africa. On 8 October 2008, they completed the “Cipla Spar Miles for Smiles Coastal Challenge” – a 100-day, 3 278-km run, around the southern African coastline from Namibia’s Oranjemund to Ponto Do Ouro in Mozambique.
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Canoeing and skiing
On 29 June 2008, Bridgitte Hartley won South Africa’s first-ever gold medal at a sprinting World Cup regatta when she clinched the women’s
1 000 m A-final in Poznan, Poland.
On 20 September 2008, South Africa’s tradition of excellence in canoe marathon competitions was confirmed at the World Championships held in the Czech Republic as the country won three medals, including gold in the men’s K2 race.
Ant Stott and Cam Schoeman won gold at the Rainbow Nation’s challenge championships in the men’s K2 competition, just a day after Stott had won a bronze medal in the K1 event.
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Biking
In August 2008, South African mountain bike downhill racer Greg Minnaar won the Mountain Bike World Cup in Canberra, Australia.
In September 2008, Tyla Rattray won the Motocross World Title when he clinched the MX2 category championship at the Italian Grand Prix in Faenza.
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Bowls
In January 2008, South Africa’s triples combination of Lorna Trigwell, Loraine Victor and Sylvia Burns were crowned world champions in Christchurch, New Zealand, when they defeated Australia 15-11 in the final of the World Bowls Championships.
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Cricket
In February 2008, Shaun Pollock, after a 12-year international career, retired at the top, hitting the winning runs for South Africa in his final one-day international (ODI) match against the West Indies.
In March 2008, South Africa beat Bangladesh by an innings and 205 runs in the second test in Chittagong to complete a two-nil series whitewash.
On 21 July 2008, South Africa beat England by 10 wickets in the second test at Headingley to take a 1-0 series lead in the battle for the Basil D’Oliviera Trophy.
On 2 August 2008, at Edgbaston, South Africa claimed victory by five wickets in the third test over England to secure a 2-0 lead in the four-match series.
A few months later, South Africa wrapped up
the second ODI against Kenya at the de Beers
Diamond Oval by cruising to a seven-wicket
victory, scoring the 223 runs needed with more
than 14 overs to spare.
South Africa made history at the end of 2008
and the start of 2009 when they won the test and
ODI series against Australia – on that country’s
home soil. The Proteas returned to South Africa as
the number one ODI team in the world.
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Freediving
In August 2008, Cape Town-based freediver Hanli
Prinsloo excelled in the Nordic Deep Freediving
Competition held off the west coast of Sweden,
winning the competition and setting four new
South African records in the process.
Freediving is the sport of diving deep for as long, or as far, as possible on one single breath of air.
Prinsloo first improved her mark in Free Immersion,
which is a depth-discipline where the diver
pulls herself down and back up a rope. The previous
record was 42 m, but she lowered the mark
to 50 m.
She began the pool disciplines with a Dynamic
No Fins record in which the diver swims breaststroke
under water. Prinsloo destroyed the previous
record of 78m by swimming 126m underwater. That new record places her among the top five
women in the world for the discipline.
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Golf
In January 2008, James Kamte scored a historymaking breakthrough victory with an explosive
five-birdie back nine to overhaul his rivals and
win the R1,8 million Dimension Data Pro-Am at
the Gary Player Country Club. Kamte became the
first black South African to record a victory on the
tough Summer Swing of the Sunshine Tour.
In March 2008, South Africa’s Ernie Els rallied
from three shots adrift to win the $5,5-million
Honda Classic and end his United States (US)
victory drought. Els fired a three-under-par 67
for a six-under total of 274, one shot in front of
England’s Luke Donald.
A month later, Trevor Immelman survived a
double-bogey at the 16th hole to become the first
South African to win the US Masters in 30 years
with a three-shot victory.
Immelman followed in the footsteps of Gary
Player to secure the prized green jacket with a
three-over-par 75, matching the highest closing
score by a Masters winner set by Arnold Palmer
in 1962.
In May 2008, Hennie Otto scored a victory in the
Italian Open at the Castello di Tolcinasco Golf and
Country Club in Milan on his European Tour.
Charl Schwartzel captured his third European
Tour title and his second in Spain in October 2008
when he won the Madrid Masters by three shots
with a total of 19-under-par 265.
On 1 November, Retief Goosen captured the
Asian Tour’s Iskandar Johor Open in Malaysia, with a final round lifting him to a two-shot victory
after he had entered the last day four shots off
the pace.
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Motor racing
In February 2008, A1 Team South Africa’s Adrian
Zaugg produced a sensational drive in pouring
rain to win the feature race at Eastern Creek just
outside Sydney, Australia.
Giniel de Villiers started 2009 on a high when he
won the Dakar Rally in January.
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Rowing
At the start of 2008, South Africans Bill Godfrey
and Peter van Kets won the 2 500-nautical
mile Atlantic Rowing Race. The event began on
2 December 2007 in San Sebastian, La Gomera, in
the Canary Islands.
Also in January 2008, in South Africa’s Dusi
Canoe Marathon, Michael Mbanjwa became the
first black winner in the 57-year history of the
event.
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Rugby
In April 2008, South Africa’s Sevens rugby team
brought an end to New Zealand’s season-long
domination of the International Rugby Board (IRB)
World Sevens Series when Neil Powell’s side beat
the Kiwis 15-7 to clinch the Adelaide Sevens.
South Africa finally ended their decade-long run
without a win on New Zealand soil on 12 July 2008 with a 30-28 victory in the Tri-Nations Series.
In June 2008, South Africa’s Sevens rugby team claimed the Plate title at the Edinburgh Sevens, defeating Scotland 14-5 to finish second in the IRB Sevens Series.
On 7 June 2008, Peter de Villiers got off to a winning start as South African coach when John Smit and his team beat Wales 43-17 in Bloemfontein. A week later, South Africa celebrated a 37-21 victory over Wales in Pretoria.
On 9 August 2008, the South Africans paid tribute to former President Nelson Mandela who was celebrating his 90th birthday with a 63-9 thrashing of Argentina in Johannesburg.
Later the same month, South Africa ended its
Tri-Nations 2008 campaign with a record 53-8 victory over the Wallabies in Johannesburg.
Jongi Nokwe became the first Springbok to score four tries against Australia.
In November, the South Africans beat England 42-6 at Twickenham.
At the end of November, South Africa won the Dubai Sevens title by beating England 12-7.
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Soccer
In March 2008, Bafana Bafana scored a 3-0 victory over world number 26 Paraguay at the Super Stadium in Atteridgeville, outside Pretoria. In the process of scoring one of three superb Bafana goals, Benni McCarthy broke the South African scoring record he had previously held jointly with Shaun Bartlett by recording his 30th international goal.
Bafana Bafana won 4-1 against Equatorial Guinea in a 2010 African Nations Cup qualifying match in Atteridgeville in June 2008.
Two months later, South Africa beat Mozambique 2-1 to retain the Cosafa Cup, now renamed the Cosafa Senior Challenge, in the final played at the Thulamahashe Stadium in Bushbuck Ridge, Limpopo.
On 15 October 2008, Bafana Bafana made it three wins in succession when they scored a
2-1 victory over Ghana in Bloemfontein.
In November, Bafana Bafana scored a dramatic 3-2 win over Cameroon in the Nelson Mandela Challenge played at Olympia Park.
They started 2009 on a high note with
1-0 victory over Zambia in January.
South Africa will be hosting the Confederations Cup in June 2009. In November 2008, the draw took place in Sandton, Johannesburg. The following countries will participate: South Africa, Iraq, New Zealand, Spain, USA, Italy, Brazil and Egypt.
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Surfing
In April 2008, Team South Africa won the overall team crown at the 2008 International Surfing Association World Masters Surfing Championships in perfect waves at Punta Rocas in Peru.
Led by individual gold medalists Heather Clark (masters women), Marc Wright (kahunas) and Chris Knutsen (grand kahunas), South Africa blew away the competition to take their second consecutive team world championship.
They topped the standings with 10 500 points,
1 100 ahead of Australia in second, with Brazil, on 9 041, finishing in third, and hosts Peru rounding out the top four with 8 766 points.
In the same month, South African Davey Weare surfed to victory against the USA’s Austin Ware in excellent surf at Ansteys on the Bluff near Durban to capture the Quiksilver Pro Durban title.
On 28 June 2008, Durban hosted the world’s most prestigious surf ski event during winter when the Durban Surf Ski World Cup took place.
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Sailing
In October 2008, South Africa’s America’s Cup Team Shosholoza was third across the finish line in a spectacular fleet of 2 000 yachts that competed in the 16-nautical mile Trieste Barcolana.
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Swimming
In February 2008, veteran swimmer Ram Barkai of Cape Town completed a 1-km swim in an Antarctic lake in life-threatening sub-zero air temperatures.
Barkai’s swim is considered the most southerly
swim in the world as it took place at 70 degrees
latitude.
In the Arctic, Barkai faced air temperatures of
minus 10 degrees Celsius and a water temperature
of one degree.
In the same month, Suzaan van Biljon set a new
championship record in the 200-m breaststroke at
the Fina World Short Course Championships in
Manchester, UK. Van Biljon clocked two minutes, 18,73 seconds to lower the previous mark of two
minutes, 20,22 seconds set in 1999 by Japan’s
Masami Tanaka.
She also excelled in the 100 metres, capturing
bronze in an African record of one minute, 05,38.
On 20 August 2008, Natalie du Toit made history
when she took to the water in the women’s 10-km
open water swim at the Olympic Games in Beijing. Du Toit booked her place in the Olympic Games by
finishing fourth in the 10-km event at the World
Open Water Swimming Championships in Seville
in May. She became the first amputee to qualify for
the Olympic Games.
One month later, Roland Schoeman broke the
50-m freestyle world record at the Telkom South
African Short Course Championships at the Delville
Swimming Pool in Germiston, Gauteng.
Schoeman powered his way to a world
best of 20,64 seconds in the two-man showdown final against Gregor Widmer, who clocked
22,45 seconds.
There was further success in the breaststroke
for South Africa when Cameron van der Burgh won
silver in the men’s 100 m. Igor Borysik took gold
in 57,74 seconds, with Van der Burgh second in
57,92 seconds as the first three finishers bettered
the previous championship record.
Source: South Africa Yearbook 2008/09
Editor: D Burger. Government Communication and Information
System
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Last modified: 28 July 2009 10:32:04. |
