LOOKING BACK

FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES 50 YEARS AGO

The new world chess champion, Bobby Fischer of the US, went “out on the town” last night to celebrate his victory over Russia’s Boris Spassky. Some thought he was in solitude saying his prayers at his hotel, but Fischer was out sampling Reykjavik’s nightlife. He was seen going into restaurants and stopping to have food and a glass of orange juice with his Icelandic friend, Saemund Palsson. Fischer clinched the championship after almost eight weeks, when Spassky, the title holder, resigned the 21st game over the phone. The US Information Service said Fischer had a standing invitation to visit President Richard Nixon at the White House when he returned home. — September 3 1972

FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES 25 YEARS AGO

SA’s Olympic bid hopes rest on the shoulders of one man, President Nelson Mandela. With only five days before the host city for the 2004 Games is chosen, the Cape Town bid committee is pulling out all the stops to swing the vote Africa’s way. Mandela has emerged as SA’s trump card. He takes on celebrities being used to promote the other bidding cities — tenor Luciano Pavarotti for Rome, Wimbledon champions Stefan Edberg and Bjorn Borg for Stockholm, singer Yanni for Athens and President Carlos Menem for Buenos Aires. Mandela’s big moment will come when he delivers the key speech during Cape Town’s final presentation in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Friday, hours before the 109 International Olympic Committee members cast their vote.— August 31 1997