SOUTH AFRICANS LOVE IT WHEN THEIR TEAMS ARE IN THE DRIVING SEAT

# SMED 11

The South African Tourism describes it as follows , ‘South Africa is a sports crazy nation – it’s practically a religion, the most popular spectator sports being  soccer, rugby and cricket. International matches and big local matches are well worth seeing live, not only to watch the game but also to catch the vibe - experience the zeal and absolute dedication of fans.

The various sporting success stories during this past weekend, TV, print media and the thousands of tweets posted, validates  the above statement. During this past week we celebrated :

Soccer

·         Ajax Cape Town reaching top position in the Premier Cup League

Cricket

·         Cape Cobras winning the Pro20 Championship against the Warriors

·         Proteas winning against Bangladesh at the International Cricket Council (ICC)

Rugby

·         Stormers beating the Bulls, to reach top position of the Super 15 Rugby League

Sports has always had the unique ability to unite all South Africans, young and old, irrespective of colour, race or creed.  Who would ever forget :

·         The  moment in 1995 when President Nelson Mandela stepped onto the pitch wearing the number six rugby jersey of Springbok captain Francois Pienaar to present the team with the Rugby World Cup Championship  trophy.  This momentous occasion – a milestone for the history of South African rugby - has even been captured in a movie produced by Hollywood bigshot,  Clint Eastwood.

·         Herscell Gibbs playing a magnificent innings in the 5th ODI against Australia on 12 March 2006, scoring 175 off just 111 balls leading South Africa to victory.

These are just a few examples of sporting excellence where South Africans have united behind their sporting stars.  Other examples include swimming sensations Natalie du Toit, Penny Heyns, Roland Schoeman and Ryk Neethling.

The 2009 Confederation Cup, the ‘dress rehearsal for the 2010 Soccer World Cup,  gave South Africans much to be proud of as South Africa obtained 4^th position in this competition.  (Needless to say, from here onwards, it went downhill all the way – with Bafana Bafana unable to proceed beyond the group rounds in the 2010 Soccer World Cup).

Back to this week’s successive sporting events : With perfect weather conditions, stadiums were filled to capacity, braai fires were the order of the day and the refreshments/ liquor trade enjoyed a bumper weekend.  One can only imagine how many unofficial ‘3^rd umpires’  and ‘3^rd Match Officials’ gave running commentary from the comfort of their homes!  

On a personal note, one of my most vivid memories of South Africans uniting behind their winning teams, relates to SA winning the 2007  Rugby World Cup.  Following the final whistle, Adderley,  Strand and Long Street were rocking with the sounds of cars’ horns and screams of jubilation as thousands of Capetonians spontaneously rocked up in Cape Town City Centre to celebrate yet another momentous occasion for South African Rugby. 

Being in the transport industry, I am fortunate in having the opportunity to attend a number of sporting events, and/or assisting sporting fans with wayfinding at train stations – thereby also being part of the energy and vibe of major events.

With South Africa performing exceptionally well in the current Cricket World Cup, we are looking forward to the quarter-finals later this week.  As a nation were are firmly behind 'our boys' and wish them every success as they pursue their dream of becoming the 2011 ICC Champions!   

Photos depicting South African Sports fans