It’s been a heck of a year. Nobody can blame you for losing track of what’s been happening in your favourite sports. Especially now that lockdown restrictions have eased and many sporting codes have returned to the field (or pool, or track, or – you get the picture), and records are being broken even as some countries face their second waves.
It’s okay – we’re here to help. Every week, we take a look around and round up some of the most interesting sports writings out there – just for you.
Here’s what we found out in the last 168 hours …
Karate: Fifty Years Of Kicking Butt
Coaches like Khayelitsha’s Sensei Monwabisi Spogter have found it challenging to keep karate in top shape during COVID-19 (as shared in his story in Cape At 6 Issue 3), but that hasn’t stopped South African dojos from taking part in the seventh annual Worldwide 100 Karate Kata event. The Shotokan South Africa organisation challenged all the affiliated dojos throughout South Africa to participate in the challenge for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and they rose to the occasion. Karate actually has returned to tournament form around the world, with major events from Croatia to Egypt to Spain. And the Prime Minister of Japan, Yoshihide Suga, congratulated the World Karate Federation on the 50th anniversary of the foundation of Karate’s international governing body, and expressed enthusiasm ahead of the Olympic debut of the discipline at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 next year.. And knows what he’s talking about – he’s a third dan black belt himself, and (rightly) proud of it. Watch his video message here. Oh, and do you think you know a lot about karate because you’ve watched a lot of action movies? Good for you – now take the quiz and prove it, okay?
Rugby: Size Matters & Raging Against Red Cards
In men’s rugby, size matters – it’s a sport where a lot of big, beefy guys clash over a little ball, after all, and they’ve just gotten beefier over the years. But New Zealand wants to give more people the chance to experience the joys of professional rugby – and NZ Rugby has set up a national tournament that allows only players of 85kg or less to compete. So far, the NZ Barbarians Under 85kg Club Cup has been incredibly popular, with fast play and community participation, and former All Blacks coach Sir Graham Henry sees it as a chance to increase the sport’s popularity in Asia and elsewhere. Oh, and the All Blacks are in talks with private equity investors (the COVID-19 cash struggle is real).
Meanwhile, in the Bledisloe Cup Test in Brisbane, two red cards and two yellow cards saw both Australia and New Zealand reduced to 14 men for most of the game – leading to much aggravation about World Rugby’s contact with the head rules. And the Springboks have committed to play in the Rugby Championship, which will now be played in a 12-match mini-tour format, until at least 2030 (unless there’s a move to the Six Nations). And “Rugby’s Mandela”, Silas Nkanunu, the first black African to assume the role of SA Rugby president, has passed away.
Tennis: Reaching Records, Bankrupting Boris & Young Champions
Novak Djokovic is one of tennis’ GOAT contenders – but even he has off days, as can be seen in his worst-ever defeat recently, when Lorenzo Sonego blew him off the court (in his own words) in their ATP Vienna quarter-final. Still, that didn’t stop him from emulating his childhood hero Pete Sampras (and matching his record) by claiming the year-end world number one ranking for the sixth time in a row. All in all, he’s pretty happy with it – but he’s not done working to get better. And in the meantime, he’s looking to the future, heaping praise on rising star Jannik Sinner as one of the best young players in his age group, with the potential to be the best in the world. Locally, young rising stars were crowned at SA’s Junior Nationals, Tennis Coach, Phathizwe Mabuza of KPM Academy of Tennis hosted a successful wheelchair tennis tournament activation at Kees Taaljaard Stadium in Middleburg, and SA’s Kevin Anderson has smashed his way into the Paris Masters second round, and also back into the World top 100. Oh, and did you know that Boris Becker’s bankruptcy means he has to surrender his Wimbledon trophies to settle his debts? Apparently he didn’t, either…
Required Reading: Cape At 6 Celebrates Women In Sport
And the best news of the week – the latest issue of Cape At 6 has just been released – and we’re pretty sure you’re going to want to read it. See, women in sport (and elsewhere) are every bit as talented, hardworking and inspirational as their male counterparts – but they aren’t always celebrated the same way. That’s why Cape At 6 dedicated this issue to highlighting amazing women in sport, from media personalities to activists to academics – and top achievers, too. These are women whose stories deserve to be told – and who continue to inspire others, men and women alike, to achieve even greater heights. And of course, we’re covering other sporting matters as well, from land matters to virtual reality to township tennis, and more. Check it out online or download a copy here – and happy reading, folks!
And that’s the week in sport.
Did we miss anything? Any interesting developments we should be talking about? Why not let us know at info@capeat6sport.co.za? And if you want to know more about what’s been happening in sport, just check out the latest issue of the Cape At 6 magazine. Just in case we haven’t mentioned it yet…
