An exciting sporting year in prospect
● A host of world-class sporting events are coming up in 2019. Here is a selection of the games that will grab global attention and captivate fans across the sporting spectrum:
Cricket World Cup in England — May 30July 14
It’s pretty simple, SA need to win to show they’re no longer chokers. They haven’t choked in recent International Cricket Council tournaments but they need to get past the winning hurdle.
Their ODI form has been middling compared to pacesetters England and India but SA are capable of competing. The tournament is important from a 50-over sustenance perspective as this format, while it has improved markedly since the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, still fights for relevance outside World Cup years.
Fifa Women’s World Cup in France — June 7-July 7
Now that the cathartic feeling of Banyana Banyana reaching the tournament has worn off, the magnitude of their task is evident. SA have China, Germany and Spain in the 24team tournament to deal with and chances are this tournament will be for learning more than anything else. However, with the under-17 women’s team also having been to their age-group World Cup, the future is bright for SA. The focus now will have to move from reaching these tournaments to being competitive but that will need the creation of a fully functional professional women’s league. Safa and the PSL, we hope you’re listening.
Africa Cup of Nations — June 15-July 13. Venue to be decided
That there’s still no venue pencilled in to host this event with less than seven months to go is a disgrace. If there’s anyone to blame it has to be the suits at Confederation of African Football (Caf) who are pretending to be in control of African football affairs. Caf promised to name the hosts early next year but even as they do that expect chaos as there will be no African country ready to host an expanded Afcon of 24 teams within a short period. SA and Morocco have been touted as potential hosts but whether their governments can issue guarantees within this short notice remains to be seen. Meanwhile Bafana Bafana still face the small matter of ensuring their qualification in their last Group E qualification tie against Libya in March.
World Aquatics Championships, Gwangju, Korea — July 12-28
This showpiece will serve as the final major gala ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Chad le Clos was fifth in the 200m butterfly the year before his 2012 Olympic triumph.
But there’s a chance that SA’s new women’s star, Tatjana Schoenmaker, may opt to miss that gala as she tries to finish her degree. Will it be a risky move for the breaststroker? Only time will tell.
African Games, Rabat, Morocco — August 23-September 3
This is the reason Morocco gave for not offering to rescue the African Nations’ Cup. Some events offer good competition, especially athletics, if the top contenders compete.
But SA insists that the top athletes and swimmers compete. In Brazzaville SA finished third behind Egypt and Nigeria. SA had topped the medals table in 2011. The last time the showpiece was staged in North Africa, in Algiers in 2007, SA was third.
World rowing championships, Linz Ottensheim, Austria — August 25September 1
This is the first opportunity for crews to qualify for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. SA managed to qualify a record five boats for the 2016 Games in Rio, but retirements hit the squad hard and this time they are looking at two boats. The lightweight women’s double sculls is steered by Kirsty McCann, a veteran of two Olympics, and Nicole van Wyk. The heavyweight men’s pair stars Lawrence Brittain, who won the silver medal last time alongside Shaun Keeling. He’s been partnering Jake Green the past season, but there are other heavyweights pushing for a seat. Whether the “leftovers” can qualify a third boat, the men’s four, remains to be seen.
Rugby World Cup in Japan — September 20 -November 2
Well, the Springboks may be lucky in a sense they have the All Blacks in their pool but should they proceed to the quarterfinals, they’ll face Scotland or Ireland. If the Boks get that far and proceed past the first playoff stage, they’ll have exceeded expectations. However, the importance of this World Cup lies in the fact that it’s in a part of the world where rugby is growing at an astonishing rate. Also, it’s going to be one of the more open World Cups where the Southern Hemisphere giants will be seen as fair game by their northern counterparts.
World athletics championships, Doha — September 27-October 6
One would expect Caster Semenya to continue her devastating form there, perhaps even deliver a golden double.
But this will be an important stage for SA’s other stars. It’s where Wayde van Niekerk would want to prove that he’s recovered from the knee injury that kept him out the 2018 season. It’s where Akani Simbine will want to win a major global medal, having finished fifth at the 2016 Olympics and fifth at the last world championships in London in 2017. It’s where Luvo Manyonga will want to show he is still the best long-jumper in the world.