No past South African sports event has been subjected to the kind of critical scrutiny that 2010 FIFA World Cup is seeing, and it was only a matter of time before a book on the subject appeared. Development and Dreams, published by HSRC Press and edited by prominent South Africa social scientists Udesh Pillay, Richard Tomlinson and Orli Bass is one of the first academically orientated perspectives to capture a number o f thought-provoking discourses on the question: “Will the World Cup be a success?”

The book looks at the economic and social realities of the event, and attempts to answer the question whether the event will be economically successful and have sufficient legacies to be called worth the trouble of hosting it.

Essays by more than a dozen authors are included, making for a diverse and interesting mix of perspectives on the matter. While the book is packed with facts and figures, one can’t help sensing that many of the articles are a reflection of the subjective opinions and interpretations of the authors, rather than attempts to put objective research findings on the table. Read the rest of this entry

Three months before last year’s Confederations Cup there were much criticisms about the lack of visibility the event had on the streets, with almost a total lack of posters and billboards announcing the event.

The country has taken the criticism to heart, and this time round it’s impossible not to drive any major road in metroplitan areas without seeing signs announcing the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

As part of its World Cup mobilisation program SRSA has sponsored a number of large billboards on the city’s major highways that promote the slogal ‘Ke Nako’ – It’s Time.

The billboards will be displayed up to the start of the World Cup, and will ensure that the tens of thousands of motorists using the higways – including those traelling to and from OR Tambo International Airport – has an image of an African World Cup in their minds.

In a show of support for schools athletics, Athletics South Africa’s Ray Mali attended the Primary Schools National Athletics Championships in East London recently as a guest of honor.

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More than 700 LSEN athletes from across South Africa recently competed at a national championships in Sasolburg.

The SRSA-supported championship has been held annually for over thirty years, and is probably the oldest athletics event for young people with learning disabilities.

Most are from schools for children with slight learning difficulties, while others are from schools for the deaf, neurally disabled and behaviourally disabled.

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March is school sport month at SRSA with no less than four national championships being held nationwide with the help of SRSA’s funding and practical support. The primary and secondary schools aquatics championships have already taken place, with the athletics championships scheduled for later in the month.

A very hot Cape Town played host to the primary schools event, with participants appreciating the cool waters of the competition pools at Newlands. More than 700 youngsters participated in the two-day inter-provincial event.

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