Comrades moves for Fifa spectaculars
Brad Morgan
14 May 2008
With South Africa set to host the Fifa Confederations Cup in 2009 and the Fifa World Cup in 2010 the dates for the running of the Comrades Marathon in those years have been changed.
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.
'Impossible'
"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.
Date policy
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.
Confederations Cup line-up
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 the 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.
Fifa World Cup
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.
Would you like to use this article in your publication
or on your website?
See: Using SAinfo material
