News
Mpuma community to benefit from 2010 venture
22 July - The construction of the Mbombela Stadium in Mpumalanga is taking place on 118 hectares of land which has recently been restored to the Matsafeni community.
World Cup's green legacy for Joburg
22 July - More trees, clean rivers and green playing fields are some of the long-lasting benefits from the 2010 Fifa World Cup™ that Joburg’s residents will enjoy.
See you in 2010 Madiba: Fifa
21 July - Fifa President Sepp Blatter has promised to see former South African President Nelson Mandela at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa™.
Eskom engages municipalities for 2010
18 July - An Eskom project team is working with the metro and municipal electricity departments to ensure the reliability of electricity supply to the stadiums, broadcasting centres, base camps and venues for the 2010 Fifa World Cup™, the power utility said in its annual report released on Thursday.
Nelson Mandela - SA's 2010 envoy
18 July - "The world cup will help unify people, if there is one thing in this planet that has the power to bind people together it is soccer."
Gauteng ahead of schedule for 2010
17 July - Gauteng is ahead of schedule with the construction of all host stadia ahead of the 2010 Fifa World Cup™.
Port Elizabeth to hold 2010 security exercise
16 July - The army, navy, police and airforce are set to descend on Port Elizabeth later in July to conduct a training exercise ahead of the 2010 World Cup, police said on Wednesday.
Durban's Moses Mabhida to be a year-round event
15 July - Durban has planned ahead to ensure that it's R2.6-billion Moses Mabhida Stadium is not only a single code sporting facility, but a sustainable, multi-function events theatre promising to attract people 365 days a year.
Volunteering open to all SA residents
15 July - The Local Organising Committee (LOC) says volunteering for the 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup™ is open to everyone who is a legal resident of South Africa.
World Cup readiness test for Mpumalanga
11 July -The Cosafa Senior Challenge Cup, which will see countries from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) battling it out, will also be a test for Mpumalanga’s preparations towards hosting the 2010 Fifa World™ Cup matches.
2010 final venue wows Fifa
11 July - Fifa Secretary General Jerome Valcke says he was very impressed with his first visit to the iconic Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
700 days left to 2010 Fifa World Cup in SA
10 July - With 700 days left to the kickoff of the 2010 Fifa World Cup™ to be hosted in Africa for the first time, South Africa has made considerable strides to ensure that the World Cup will be a resounding success.
South Africans heed call for volunteers
10 July - The Local Organising Committee (LOC) have reported a resounding response to their call for South Africans to volunteer during the 2009 Confederations Cup™ to be held in South Africa.
15 May 2008
Comrades moves for Fifa tournaments
Brad Morgan
Organisers of South Africa’s foremost road running event – the Comrades Marathon – have resolved to move the competition to make way for the 2009 Confederations Cup and the 2010 Fifa World Cup™ spectaculars.
The race will be run a little earlier than the current date in mid-June, taking place on 24 May in 2009 and 30 May in 2010. Those dates don't differ much from the dates on which the Comrades was held for many years in the past.
Comrades Marathon Association Chairman, Dave Dixon said it wouldn't have been feasible to stage the Comrades Marathon during the Fifa World Cup and the Fifa Confederations Cup.
"The first World Cup match is on 11 June 2010," he explained, "so we simply cannot hold the Comrades during June, as we normally do. It will be impossible to obtain essential resources.
"The SAPS and traffic authorities will be fully occupied, attending to thousands of visitors, while most of the country's broadcast facilities will be tied up in the coverage of football matches."
It won't be the first time that the Comrades Marathon has changed its date. For a long time it was held on 24 May, which was Empire Day, but later became Commonwealth Day. From 1954, the race was held on 31 May, which was Union Day, and later became known as Republic Day when South Africa became a republic in 1961.
After democracy came to South Africa the Comrades was moved to 16 June, Youth Day, which is a public holiday. Due to a clash with Youth Day celebrations, it was moved to the closest Sunday to that date in 2007.
This year the Comrades Marathon will take place on 15 June. It is an "up run", from Durban to Pietermaritzburg.
The President of Athletics South Africa Leonard Chuene, talking about the changed dates, said: "We have to be patriotic. Going ahead with the Comrades Marathon in June in 2009 and 2010 would have created chaos in almost everything."
The 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup takes place from 14 June to 28 June and features a fantastic line-up. South Africa, as the hosts of the 26th edition of the tournament, will take on seven other nations who will represent Fifa's different confederations.
Egypt, as the two-time Cup of Nations' winners will fly the flag for Africa. Iraq, the surprising winners of the Asian Cup in 2007, which earned them a Laureus Sports Award nomination for Team of the Year, will try to continue their remarkable success.
Europe's representative is set to be decided soon, with the winner of Euro 2008, which takes place from 7 June to 29 June, earning the honour to play in the Confederations Cup.
The USA, who beat Bafana Bafana 1-0 in the Nelson Mandela Challenge in Johannesburg in November 2007, will be back in South Africa because they won the Concacaf Gold Cup with a 2-1 victory over Mexico in the final.
Five-time World Cup winners Brazil, as the winners of the Copa America 2007 - their fourth title in the last five editions of the competition - will present a strong South American challenge.
The minnows among the contestants will come from the winners of the OFC Nations Cup which pits New Zealand against three South Pacific nations for a place in the Confederations Cup.
Italy, as the defending World Cup champions, completes the line-up.
Earning a place at the Confederations Cup is viewed as a big bonus for the competing teams. It presents them with an opportunity to take on some of the world's leading teams one year before the Fifa World Cup at venues where the tournament will be played.
The Fifa World Cup will be held from 11 June to 11 July 2010. There are 204 countries trying to win a place in soccer's showpiece event, but only 31 will gain the highly-prized qualification for the finals, along with South Africa, the hosts.
It will be the biggest sporting event ever hosted in the Rainbow Nation. After 18 previous editions of the World Cup, it will also mark the first time that Africa hosts the event, which was first held in Uruguay in 1930.
While the Comrades Marathon is the largest ultra-marathon in the world, the Fifa World Cup, along with the Olympic Games, rates as the biggest sporting event in the world. It comes around only every four years and its stature in the world of sport is thus the best of reasons for moving the Comrades to a slightly earlier starting date.
Ultimately, the decision to move the Comrades means a massive sporting bonanza for South African sports' fans. It's a sensible decision that allows the Comrades to continue its rich tradition and maintain its revered place in South African sport without having to cede anything to the biggest football extravaganzas in the world.
Source: SA.info Website