Big sports events in 2004
Brad Morgan
9 January 2004
2003 is now a part of history and with it goes the Rugby World Cup, the Cricket World Cup, the World Track and Field Championships and the Presidents Cup. So, what is there to look forward to in 2004? Here are a few ideas off the top of my head…
Soccer is first up on the list of big events this year, with the 2004 African Cup of Nations taking place in Tunisia later this month. South Africa is grouped with traditional power Nigeria and Morocco, as well as with the lesser known Benin.
It will be a difficult group to advance from, especially as Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba has refused to reach a compromise with some of South Africa’s overseas-based stars and won’t allow them to join the team at a later stage.
McCarthy retires
Mashaba’s stance has led to striker Benni McCarthy - who has been in fine form for Portuguese giants Porto - deciding to retire from the international game, while veteran
central defender Mark Fish has also been sidelined because of the coach’s refusal to compromise. Other countries have worked out compromises so that their top players can represent them. Why does Mashaba not do the same?
The South African Football Association (Safa) is reportedly unhappy about this state of affairs and so am I. Mashaba needs to accept that clubs pay players’ salaries. Countries don’t. He needs to realise that to get the best out of South Africa’s footballers he must work with the overseas clubs, not against them.
Most of South Africa’s best players are based overseas precisely because of the fact that they are the country’s best players. In my book Mashaba is his own worst enemy - at the top level the top players are needed because a second string selection has little chance of lifting a major title like the African Cup of Nations.
The biggest event of the year will be the Olympic Games to be held in Athens, Greece. With all due respect to the
soccer World Cup, this is the biggest sporting event in the world.
Olympic optimism
Based on South Africa’s showing at the World Championships in Paris, there is reason to be optimistic about the country’s chances of landing a gold medal or two – and indeed sliver and bronze medals too - during the athletics events.
Naturally, high jumper Hestrie Cloete should be given top billing. After winning the World Championships for the second time in Paris with a spectacular series of jumps, she will be the odds-on favourite to win Olympic gold. Cloete has shown in the past that she produces her best when the chips are down.
Jacques Freitag should also be a force to be reckoned with. The only man to win world titles at world junior, youth and senior championship levels, the tall Pretoria athlete should continue to improve and like Cloete become the dominant force in his event, provided that injuries don’t strike him down.
His
performance in winning the world title in 2003 was simply sensational, especially when one considers that he was supposed to miss the year to get over an injury he had picked up the previous year.
However, the South African challenge should not end with those two athletes. If you need proof, just remember that South Africa finished seventh in the medal standings in Paris.
Okkert Brits claimed silver in the pole vault, while Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, the world’s top ranked 800 metre athlete, took bronze, as did the men’s marathon team in the team event. Llewellyn Herbert had a silver medal in his grasp in the 400 metres hurdles before he hit the final hurdle and fell.
Besides these stars there are athletes like Frantz Kruger, bronze medal winner in the discus at the Sydney Olympics, to watch out for. Kruger is ranked third in the world and is a very real medal candidate. Don’t discount the evergreen Hezekiel Sepeng in the 800, Shaun Bownes in the 110 high hurdles, Surita
Febbraio in the 400 hurdles for women and Heide Seyerling-Quinn in the 400 flat. Make no mistake, South Africa has the ability to make big waves in Athens.
Swimming
Also at the Olympics, it will be very interesting to see how the country’s swimmers perform. Recently, the spotlight has turned to South Africa’s chances in the men’s 4 X 100 freestyle relay because of some spectacular performances by a couple of sprint stars.
Towards the end of last year, Lyndon Ferns grabbed the headlines when he cracked the 49-second barrier, with a time of 48.99 at the Texas Invitational. That time was a new South African and African record. However, the record didn’t last for long as the sensational Roland Schoeman clocked a blistering 48.69 to lower the mark.
Together with Ryk Neethling, the former record holder at 49.29, Ferns and Schoeman give South Africa, on paper, the fastest trio of swimmers in the world. All that needs to be found is the
fourth member of a relay team that could challenge the established powers for gold.
The likely fourth member appears to be 19-year old Darian Townsend. He clocked 50.37 in 2003, having previously not broken the 53-second barrier. Both Neethling and Ferns are keen that he moves to the University of Florida – where he will be studying - as soon as possible or join them in Arizona for training.
It should be a very interesting and important year for South African rugby. After the terrible year the sport endured in 2003, both on and off the field, I sincerely hope that it makes major strides forward in 2004.
A new leaf for SA rugby
Gone are Sarfu president Silas Nkanunu, SA Rugby boss Rian Oberholzer and Springbok coach Rudolf Straeuli. Now, with new blood in charge (although a Bok coach is yet to be appointed), it’s a chance for South African rugby to turn over a new leaf and capture the support of the South African and world rugby
public.
There is no question about the talent that’s available to take the Springboks back up the world standings. However, there are so many questions that need to be answered, not least of which is how the Boks will approach the game.
Straeuli, early on in his coaching stint, advocated a running game and the Springboks certainly produced some strong performances before imploding on their tour of Britain when they reverted to a more conservative game plan. Following that approach to the game, the green and gold failed to impress in 2003.
Something else that really needs to be addressed is the exodus of players to overseas teams. There are too many South African players plying their trade in France, England and Italy and some of them would be strong challengers for a Springbok place if they played in South Africa.
Maybe the toughest challenge facing the new Springbok coach this year will be the schedule facing his team. There will be no lesser opponents on
the menu before the first of the Tri-Nations Tests. First up will be Ireland, a team ranked just behind the Boks by the International Rugby Board, in two Tests. Many would contend that the Irish are a better team than South Africa. A much improved and exciting Welsh team follows a week later and then the Tri-Nations against Australia and New Zealand.
The year ends with away Tests against Ireland, Scotland and world champions England. It is going to be very tough to come away with a winning record.
Proteas in New Zealand
South African cricket has made a good start to the year with the Proteas dominating their Test series against the West Indies. However, a much tougher test awaits the Proteas in February and March when they journey to the Land of the Long White Cloud to take on New Zealand.
The Black Caps are a well-balanced team. But perhaps more importantly, they are a team with a strong mental approach to the game and that is why
captain Graeme Smith and his charges should have a tough tour. Having said that, South Africa’s batsmen have made a very strong start to the year and they could revel on some of New Zealand pitches. The big question is whether the bowlers can capture 20 wickets in a match or not.
Finally, it will be interesting to see whether South Africa’s golfers can improve on a very good 2003. Last year, Ernie Els won seven tournaments, Retief Goosen won on both sides of the Atlantic, Rory Sabbatini and Trevor Immelman won the World Cup, and Tim Clark finished third in the PGA Championships.
Superb golfers
Both Els and Goosen remain ranked in the top 10. Ernie’s aim is likely to win a fourth major title, while Retief, too, will be looking to add another major to his 2001 US Open title.
Besides their World Cup success, both Sabbatini and Immelman won individual titles in 2003, with Sabbatini taking the FBR Capital Open and Immelman the SAA Open.
Both would like another victory or two, as well as greater consistency. Others like Tim Clark and the up-and-coming Charl Schwartzel will want to taste victory.
It should be an interesting and exciting sporting year, and hopefully it will be a great one for South Africa.
| 
