Sport in South Africa
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Many sports have a passionate following in South Africa, although they remain largely divided on ethnic lines. The South African government is currently implementing a quota system in sport, according to which sport teams members have to be demographically representative booty. The most popular sports are cricket, rugby union, football and hockey.
South Africa was absent from international sport during the apartheid era due to sanctions, but started competing globally after voting to abolish sanctions
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[edit] History
South Africa was banned from the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo due to the apartheid policies.[1]. This ban effectively lasted until 1992. During this time, some sports people (like Zola Budd and Kepler Wessels) left for other countries in order to compete internationally.
In 1977, Commonwealth Presidents and Prime Ministers agreed, as part of their support for the international campaign against apartheid, to discourage contact and competition between their sportsmen and sporting organisations, teams or individuals from South Africa. This was called the Gleneagles Agreement.
[edit] football
[edit] Cricket
South Africa is one of the ten leading cricket nations that play Test match cricket. Cricket was traditionally popular among English-speaking whites, and the Asian community, though the latter were not able to compete in top level South African cricket in the Apartheid era. Since the end of the Apartheid era a higher proportion of white players have come from Afrikaans-speaking backgrounds, and attempts have been made to increase the number of non-white players, in part through a quota system. Cricket is one of the most popular sports in South Africa. It is the second most popular sport and is the only sport in South Africa to feature in the top two sports of all race groups. This has had both successes - Herschelle Gibbs one of the sport's most dominating batsmen, the black bowler Makhaya Ntini reached number 2 in the ICC Player Rankings in 2006 - and unintended side effects. Kevin Pietersen, who is white, left the country claiming that he was put at a disadvantage by positive discrimination, and within a few years became one of the world's top batsmen - as a member of the England cricket team. South Africa is one of the strongest teams and in 2006 in Johannesburg in what many considered the Greatest ODI Ever, South Africa led by Herschelle Gibb's 175 chased down Australia's mammoth and then world record score of 434-3. South Africa hosted the 2003 Cricket World Cup an event that was disappointing to them as they tied against Sri Lanka and were eliminated on homesoil. In the 2007 Cricket World Cup South Africa reached the semi-finals of the event but lost to Australia.
[edit] Rugby union
Rugby union is the most popular sports in South Africa, which is especially popular among Afrikaners. The Springboks hosted and won the 1995 Rugby World Cup, it was their first appearance at the World Cup. The defeat of the All Blacks in the final is remembered as one of the most famous South African sporting moments. The domestic league - the Currie Cup is also played annually, as well as the international Super 14.
After being tainted by associations with apartheid, the Springboks (or 'Boks') have sought to become part of the 'New South Africa', with President Nelson Mandela wearing the Springbok jersey, once only worn by whites, at the final of the 1995 Rugby World Cup.
South Africa are the current World Champions after winning the 2007 Rugby World Cup
[edit] Traditional sports
Jukskei is a 200 year old folk sport developed and played in South Africa.
[edit] Rugby league
Rugby league in South Africa has a long and turbulent history, consisting of no less than three and possibly four different administrative boards, committee or interests over 40 odd years that attempted to establish the game of rugby league in South Africa. Neither, certainly the earlier attempts where very successful.
The first attempted expansion of the code into South Africa was primarily put together by the English and encouraged by the French for the purpose of expanding the game into new nations, that would inevitably bring more tests to the English and French shores, ensuring a lucrative future. At least, that was the plan; however it was not to be, the South African public did not take to the sport and the expansion plans where stopped prematurely causing a 3rd scheduled match in London to not be played.
The second attempted expansion was a strange double act in the 1960s consisting of two separate factions, known as the National Rugby League and South African Rugby League. Each fought for their own survival until the RLIF laid down the law that saw the NRL effectively shut down and its clubs moved to the SARL. All was looking good for SARL until a South African representative team toured Australia and where embarrassingly beaten, enough to discourage South African fans from supporting their national team and thus it never caught on. The 1990s brought forth a more committed band of entrepreneurs. The foundation left by the 1990s administration still lives on today, albeit a former shadow of its self.
The rugby league competition in South Africa is the Tom van Vollenhoven Cup.
[edit] Cycling
South Africa has a strong cycle race scene. The most notable cyclist is Robert Hunter who won a stage in the 2007 Tour de France. Robert Hunter rode that tour with Team Barloworld who had gained a wildcard entry to the Tour de France that year. Although Barloworld are based in the UK, the team is considered to be a South African team.
[edit] Other sports
South Africa has a number of disabled athletes, most notably the double amputee world record holder at 100m, 200m and 400m - Oscar Pistorius. In triathlon Conrad Stoltz is a three time Xterra triathlon world champion, Raynard Tissink is a multiple Ironman champion, Hendrick de Villiers is a ITU World Cup winner and Dan Hugo is an Xterra and multi-sport star.
[edit] Australian Rules Football
Australian rules football in South Africa is a fast growing team sport[citation needed], having grown in participation by 159% between 2005-07.[citation needed] Since 1996, the sport has been growing quickly amongst indigenous communities,[citation needed] beginning in the North West province and later spreading to Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape Province[citation needed] through the work of development officers. South Africa's national team made history in 2007 by competing against Australia's best Under 17 players[citation needed] as well as defeating a touring Australian amateur senior team for the first time.[citation needed]
[edit] Women's sport
Sport in South Africa is still largely seen (in the words of a former member of Women and Sport South Africa) as "the domain of men". In 1997, one writer described "massive gender inequalities in the sporting structures of the country, and a strong association between sport and masculinity"[2].
[edit] References
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