Sport stars bring hope amid gloom

In the gloomy age of load shedding, depressingly high levels of unemployment and economic uncertainty, thank goodness for our sportsmen and women. Siya Kolisi’s Springboks brought us back-toback Rugby World Cup titles in France last year, Banyana Banyana reached the last-16 stage of the Women’s World Cup in Australia in 2023 and mixed martial arts fighter Dricus du Plessis made history when he won the UFC middleweight title earlier this year. There’s also the remarkable story of South African sailor Kirsten Neuschäfer, who became the first female to win a solo roundthe-world race via the three Great Capes last year.

Our sporting achievements haven’t gone unnoticed and South Africa was nominated for a whopping four separate awards at the Laureus World Sports Awards – sport’s Oscars – which takes place in Madrid in April.

The Springboks are in line for the Laureus World Team of the Year Award after defeating New Zealand in the World Cup final by a single point – the same margin of victory they recorded over France in the quarterfinals and England in the semifinals. It’s interesting to note they won this award in 2008 and 2020 after winning the World Cup the previous year.

Kolisi is also in line for the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award, after recovering from a partial ligament tear in his knee to lead the Boks to glory in France. It’s an award former South African flanker Schalk Burger won in 2015 after recovering from a life-threatening bout of meningitis. He not only had to teach himself to walk again, but went on to play for the Boks again.

Neuschäfer is shortlisted for the Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award – a category only won once by a South African (Mike Horn in 2001), while Justice Desk Africa – a nonprofit organisation that empowers young people in South Africa to understand and defend their human rights – is in the running for the Laureus Sport for Good Award.

We are crossing fingers for all our nominees but regardless of the outcome of the awards, they’ve already won our – and the world’s – respect.