Coronavirus and the virtual sports revolution
The suspension of live sport has thrust the virtual sports industry into the limelight. E-sport is the only area where athletes, and amateurs, can compete while practising social distancing.
Sport
Sunette Viljoen shooting for gold at fifth Olympics
The javelin veteran, who has recovered from a back injury, is confident she can do something she has never done in her career at the Tokyo Olympics.
Nigeria’s complicated relationship with Gernot Rohr
The German coach of Nigeria’s national football team has had a tumultuous relationship with the country’s football federation – and it looks set to continue for a few more years.
Joe van Niekerk lives the good life in Costa Rica
The former Springbok chose a different path on hanging up his rugby boots, taking up organic farming in Costa Rica and rediscovering himself by being one with nature.
Why Dingaan Thobela will never forget 27 April
Four years before South Africa gained its freedom, Thobela fought in a bout in the US that would have made him a world champion. Even though he won and received no belt, that night changed his life.
Rehumanising Diego Maradona
In two recent documentaries, we finally get up close to the complicated sadness of Argentina’s original football deity.
Shabnim Ismail’s need for speed
The fastest woman on the planet doesn’t shriek when that tag is thrust on her. That’s why she is the most lethal South African bowler in Proteas Women’s history.
Themba Gorimbo aims to be Africa’s UFC answer
The Zimbabwean mixed martial arts fighter wants to be the first Ultimate Fighting Championship champion from Africa. It’s a tough challenge, but he’s beaten bigger odds to get to where he is today.
Football can help tackle gender-based violence
A number of stakeholders agree that the beautiful game could play a critical role in confronting violence against women in South Africa. But is the sport capable of overcoming its demons to do so?
Women’s cricket stands against gender violence
The Proteas Women were supposed to play a Black Day match to raise awareness about South Africa’s struggle with gender-based violence. Its postponement doesn’t mean the fight is off.
Why is Jake White such a polarising figure?
The World Cup-winning coach has an impeccable CV, with an illustrious coaching career that has taken him all over the globe. But he has a reputation problem.
Athletes count costs as Covid-19 spreads
Comrades winner Bong’musa Mthembu cannot compete because of Covid-19 but is fortunate that he can survive financially. Others are not as lucky as their sources of income have dried up.
Delayed Olympics gives Baby Bafana time to prepare
South Africa’s national Under-23 football coach, David Notoane, explains how the Covid-19 pandemic affected his plans for the 2020 Olympic Games that Tokyo will now stage next year.
Pape Diouf, a man of many footballing firsts
The first African to be president of a top European football club, Marseille’s Pape Diouf died at the age of 68 in his native Senegal, the West African country’s first Covid-19-related death.
The day Hasim Rahman stole Thabo Spampool’s thunder
The renowned South African boxing official looks back at the role he played as a judge in the Lennox Lewis versus Hasim Rahman heavyweight bout in Johannesburg.
Nozipho Bell joins Eastern Cape’s boxing exodus
The fabled home of South African boxing has been losing some of its best talent to Johannesburg because of the many financial constraints the sport’s stars face in the province.
The gifted Gregory Mahlokwana bowls both ways
The young, ambidextrous bowler was almost lost to cricket as a more certain career in law enforcement beckoned. But a chance meeting with his idol gave him the chance to pursue the pitch.
Makhethe siblings hammer their way into history books
Tshepang and Phethisang Makhethe are trailblazers of sorts with their exploits in hammer throwing, an athletics event that doesn’t have many black competitors in South Africa.
Avuyile Ndamase’s tricky relationship with the ocean
The pro surfer from Port St Johns in the Eastern Cape is on a mission to ensure that the ride to professionalism is smoother for black surfers who come after him.
The secret behind the Josef Zinnbauer magic
The Orlando Pirates coach has masterminded a dramatic turnaround at the struggling club he joined just over four months ago. Now, they are league contenders.
Phatutshedzo Maswanganyi, SA’s new sprint sensation
Fresh from breaking the South African Junior 100m record, the athlete from Soweto has a bright future ahead of him on a sports scholarship in the US, where he will be coached by Olympic royalty.