Sport

The Soccer World Cup finally comes to the African continent. The FIFA Soccer World Cup in 2010 will bring South Africa into the limelight. The big kick-off on 11 June, 2010 will be watched by the largest TV audience for any sporting extravaganza. The final draw, to be held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on 4 December, 2009 will pit 32 of the world’s top soccer playing countries together, to decide who will lift up the Jules Rimet Trophy a month later. ... more

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Despite note-worthy results of its top sportsmen and women and despite the fact that about half of its almost 50 million strong population is under the age of 35, South Africa has very low mass participation in sport. ... more

Every time the only white player in South Africa's national soccer team starting line-up touches the ball, the whole station echoes with one long, loud “Boo!”  Is that a manifestation of racial intolerance on the part of (almost exclusively) black spectators?

Not at all. The player is Mathew Booth, and the audience is actually rooting for him by calling his name. ... more

Sport in South Africa is a multibillion rand industry and contributes more than 2% to the country’s gross domestic product. ... more

Rugby is the second most popular South African sport (after soccer), the most successful, and the most controversial.

The national rugby team is the Springboks, or Boks for short.

Rugby was introduced to South Africa by British colonists in the Cape around 1875, quickly becoming popular among the Boer (Afrikaner) population. The Western Province Rugby Football Union was formed 1883, and in 1891 the South African side played its first international match against the touring British Isles side. ... more