South Africa Blog

Telecommunications giant MTN has thrown its weight behind one of the safest but toughest and most grueling cycling events, now known as the MTN Amashova National Classic in Durban Cycle Race.

The MTN Amashova 106km race from the Pietermaritzburg City Hall to Durban takes place on Sunday, October 18, starting at 6.30am as well as the Sunday Tribune Amashova fun ride taking in a distance of 39km from Hillcrest High School, starting at 5.45am, both will finish at the Suncoast Casino and Entertainment World.

And adding another dimension to the event is the MTN Asishove mountain bike challenges which this year will take place at Midmar Dam on Saturday, October 17 over distances of 10km, 35km and 70km.

To ensure that the children are not left out, the MTN Minishova in Durban 1km (3-6 years old) and 5km (7-11years old) events for children takes place at Suncoast on Saturday, October 10 – a week before the main event.

Go to http://www.amashova.co.za for more information to register or call the Shova organizers during office hours on 031 312 8896. For accommodation in Durban see Durban Accommodation and in Pietermaritzburg see Pietermaritzburg Accommodation.

The annual Cape Odyssey, which was inspired by the prestigious Absa Cape Epic, is a two-man team stage race that has changed the face of trail running – with enthusiasts covering 211km over 5 days.

From 8 to 12 October 2008, only the most courageous amongst runners will become part of the legend. Starting in Hermanus on the Southern Cape coast, they will traverse the varied landscapes of the Western Cape and at the same time endure the harsh elements before arriving at their final destination – which will be nestled between towering mountains in the beautiful Cape Winelands, at the legendary farm of Boschendal.

The Cape Odyssey is organised with the participating athletes at the focal point. The organiser‘s primary goal is to deliver an unsurpassed and unforgettable trail running, African travel experience and adventurous enjoyment to all athletes.

Teams of two can register in four different categories including Ladies, Men, Mixed and Masters (both runners must be 40 years or older). The minimum age of participation is 18.

Eager enthusiasts not participating in the entire challenge can still be part of the action by entering Die Burger Fun Run held at Boschendal Wine Estate on the final day (12 October 2008).

Those fit and ready to take up the challenge and participate in the Cape Odyssey or Die Burger fun run, can read more about how to enter at www.cape-odyssey.com.

Become part of a legend!

The 27th Annual Freshpak Rooibos Festival challenges Contestants once again at Clanwilliam: The time has come for swimmers, cyclists, runners and their families to test their fortitude at the 21st annual Freshpak Rooibos Fitness Festival, taking place in Clanwilliam (Western Cape) on Saturday 29 September 2007. Set against the picturesque backdrop of the Cederberg mountains and the Clanwilliam dam, the Freshpak Rooibos Fitness Festival 2007 promises an entertaining family day filled with good food and drinks, stamina-testing events and the spirit of sporting camaraderie.

The assortment of sporting events available means that everyone from the super-fit to the less competitive can partake in the fun. Participants can choose their challenge from amongst a 3 km long swim, a biathlon (5 km running, 20 km cycling), a duathlon (5 km running, 20 km cycling, 5 km running) and a triathlon (800 m swim, 20 km cycling, 5 km running), which are all open to individual participants or teams. Younger members of the family are invited to flex their muscles and participate in the popular Iron Kids event, which involves both running and swimming.

Contestants stand the chance of winning cash prizes, as well as one of the many spot prizes available. For more information on the 2007 Freshpak Rooibos Fitness Festival, contact TNT Sports Promotions (021) 848 9407 or enter online at EntryTime.com

Related Links:
Enter Online at www.entrytime.com
Book: Clanwilliam Accommodation
Events: Western Cape Events & Festivals

The Fox SA National Motocross Championships  heads to Durban this weekend (30 June – 1 July) where the Springfield  Dirt Mania Raceway will play host to the fifth leg of this exciting  motocross series. The event signifies the halfway stage of the 2007 series, which has  already seen some world-class racing taking place, but there will be  extra pressure on the riders to perform and gain points as this  exciting series moves into the second half of it’s season. The Durban event is a perennial favourite among the riders and  spectators  and is expected to attract both in very large numbers.

Of particular interest to spectators will be the ongoing duel between  the top dogs in the Open Senior division; Johannesburg’s Richard Van  Der Westhuizen (Redbull/Motorex/KTM/Oakley/Fox/Wasp) will once again  be butting helmets with local KZN rider, Liam O’Farrell (Team Red  Yamaha). Having won an event each this year, both riders share a tied  first position at the top of the standings after two events. A victory here will put either rider in a commanding position for the  latter half of the series.

The 125cc Senior Division, will be equally as explosive with Ross  Branch (Fox/Wreckers Campbell Kawasaki), holding on to a slender lead  ahead of KZN’s Shaun Ford (Team Red Yamaha) and Michael Kok (KTM/ Redbull/Motorex/Fox) who hold second and third respectively.

Hillcrest’s David Goosen (Wreckers Campbell Kawasaki) will look to  extend his lead in the 125 High School Class. Goosen, who started the  year off slowly by his exceptionally high standards, discovered some form in the Welkom leg of the series in May. Having an intimate  knowledge of the Springfield Dirt Mania track, Goosen will be tough  nut to crack, but that doesn’t mean that the likes of Port  Elizabeths’s Royce Griffin (Honda MX Africa Team) and Hillcrest’s  Brad Purchase (Team Red Yamaha) wont be hot on his back tyre come  race day.

All three will hope to snatch the lion’s share of the available  points, especially since another top contender, Wesley de Jager (Team  Red Yamaha) will not be taking part due to a broken leg. Saturday’s racing will see the Fox SA National Junior Series kicking  into high gear, and from the outset there is guaranteed to be red-hot  racing from the future stars of South African motocross.

When, where, how much?
Gates will open at 8am on both Saturday and Sunday, with practice  commencing at 8:30am. The racing will then begin at 10am. Entrance  will cost R30 on Saturday with a R10 fee for scholars. Sunday’s  racing will cost R35 while the scholar fare will remain the same. There will be refreshments and food available at the race track on  both days.

Find:
Accommodation in Durban
Durban Hotels

Experience Golf with a Real Handicap, Join a World First Golfing Tournament:

A world first a unique series of regional tournaments for abled and disabled bodied golfers to experience first hand the challenges facing the disabled by wearing an eye patch.  Endorsed by the South African Disabled Golfers Association (SADGA), a portion of the profits will be donated to First Swing Golf Clinics helping disabled children. For details on 4 – ball ticket prices, call Nikki 082 783 8005.

The Eye Patch Challenge consists of three first-round regional tournaments at:
Pretoria Country Club on 13 April 2007
Parkview Golf Club on 19 April 2007
De Zalze, Stellenbosch on 28 May 2007
 concluding in a final tournament at the newly revamped Hermanus Course on 9 June 2007.

The annual Henley High School Regatta and Cricket Challenge will once again take place on Sunday 11th March 2007 at Fraser Park in Hearn Rd. Henley on Klip, Gauteng. This exciting event is one of the highlights in Henley’s calendar and attracts participants from outside the village. Last year a group of brave sailors floated a bakkie and finished the race with it, took it out of the water and drove off. There is no limits to the creativeness of what can be built, as long as it floats!

Last year a cricket challenge went out from Henley High’s senior pupils and parents to the rest of the Village members, the format was a limited over’s game, and to the surprise of everyone the Village got a bit of a lesson on how to play the wonderful game of cricket. This year the lines have been drawn, the pitch is looking great, and there will be a bit of a revenge game. Some would say that the pitch has been prepared to suit the Village team, but it does not frighten the boys from Henley high.

The stakes are high this year as a floating trophy will be presented to the winning team so that there can be no dispute in years to come as to who won and on what year!

The format for the Raft Race be as follows:
School Challenge: Pupils from the school will be building and entering a raft (the emphasis will be on creativity rather than speed) the idea is to have some real snazzy water craft. The school will challenge other schools in the Midvaal area. The different School teams will provide their own Cheerleader girls.

Corporate Challenge: Any company can enter a raft or rafts, they can advertise on the rafts and host a hospitality tent, if they so wish, for their staff or customers.

Village Challenge: This category is for all Henley residents and businesses.

Procession: All rafts will assemble on Sunday morning at Fraser Park for judging and then form a procession through the village in order to show off their craft to the village. They will proceed to the starting line in Dinsdale Rd and hopefully the rafts will finish at the Scouts Hall.

Cricket Challenge:
After the race there will be a Bring N Braai at Fraser Park. The parents of Henley High & Prep will then challenge the rest of the village in a limited overs Cricket match in the afternoon. Food and drinks will be available for sale and the village crafters will also be marketing their wares.

There will be no entry fee for participant or craft stalls. The schools tuck shop will sell refreshments and Prego rolls. If any other parties are interested in having food stalls they will have to enter a raft in order to have a stall.

This unique event promises to be a lot fun. There is no other like it in Gauteng.
So get the kids and friends together and start building that awesome raft NOW!!

For more information contact Steve, Igmar or Joe on the following numbers:
Joe: 083 542 3753
Igmar: 083 417 4294
Steve: 083 324 9354
Visit the website at: http://www.henleyhighregatta.co.za/

The South African Touch Association (SATA) is pleased to announce that it will be hosting its first ever Touch Rugby World Cup in SA next year.

SATA is recognised by the South African Sports Council and is currently in the process of registering with the South African Sports Commission and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) – the governing body of sports in SA. The event itself has also been fully endorsed by Sports Minister Rev Dr Makhenkesi Stofile.

The World Cup, which will be hosted at the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch from 17th to 21st January 2007 and is endorsed by the Federation of International Touch (FIT) , will feature 41 teams from 15 countries, including current world champions in the Men’s, Ladies and Mixed divisions, Australia, archrivals New Zealand, England, Japan and the USA, among others.

The event will be divided into seven divisions namely, Men’s Open, Ladies Open, Mixed Open, Mixed and Men’s Seniors (over 30′s), Men’s Masters (over 35′s) and Men’s Veterans (over 40′s). The top four teams in each division after the league stages will advance to the semifinals, with the respective winners then battling it out for the championship.

This prestigious event will mark the sixth Touch World Cup in the history of the sport. The inaugural tournament was held in Australia in1987, with SA participating in all the events since readmission into the world sporting arena in 1995. The last Touch Rugby Cup was hosted just outside of Tokyo in Kumagaya in Japan in May 2003 where Australia took the honours in all divisions, with New Zealand finishing second on the log standings across the board, while South Africa claimed the bronze medals in three of the four categories entered.

In a letter endorsing the event, Stofile stated “As an amateur sport promoting the participation in sport in line with the mission statement of the Ministry of Sport and Recreation South Africa, creating an active and winning Nation, I would like to extend my unequivocal support for this international event”.

Commenting on the event, SATA president Garth Macintosh said: “It is a great honour for South Africa to host this event. We would ask and hope for as much local support as possible to help our national sides take on the best the world has to offer.”

Touch rugby is one of the few sports in the world where men and women compete in the same arena and the broad spectrum across age groups illustrates the extent to which the game caters for everyone. The sport is definitely one of the fastest growing sports in SA mainly because of the ease of setting up playing fields, which is essentially the only requirement to host a game. Touch rugby has become quite popular in the previously disadvantaged areas in the past few years, which has increased interest in the game significantly.”

Most teams are expected to arrive for the showpiece early in January to acclimatize for the event.

Teams participating:
South Africa
Australia
New Zealand
England
Scotland
Wales
Jersey
France
Switzerland
Lebanon
USA
Japan
Singapore
Fiji
Samoa

What is Touch Rugby?
South Africans have played touch rugby on an informal basis for many years. Following phenomenal growth in popularity and prominence in Australia and New Zealand, Touch Rugby has also become more formalised in South Africa as it transitioned from the informal 1 touch that is played socially on school fields, beaches and just about any open area throughout the country on weekends, to the internationally accepted 6-down code which follows a more formalised league and tournament structure.

Touch is a non-contact game played on a field 70m by 50m (3/4 of a rugby field). There are 12 players in a team, 6 on the field at any given time, with 6 rolling substitutes. Both men and women play, in either a men’s team, a ladies team or a mixed team. Games consist of two halves of 25 minutes each. Each team has 6 consecutive possessions to try and score a try by crossing the try line without the attacking player being touched. If a try is not scored within these 6 possessions, possession is handed over to the opposition team after the 6 down or immediately on an error such as a dropped ball or a forward pass. Touch rugby is played internationally according to the Federation of International Touch (FIT) rules. These are commonly known as the 6 down rules, which differs to the informal style of 1 touch most commonly known in South Africa.

In the last fifteen years, Touch has developed to the point where South Africa now has around 10 000 registered players competing in 12 leagues across 9 regions of the country. Compare this to the numbers in Australia – over 940 000 participants – and New Zealand – over 150 000 registered players – and the future and growth of the sport in South Africa looks bright.

For more information:
Di Charton:
083 391 7703 dcharton@accelerationmedia.co.za
Nandie Gibbons :
082 416 1251 ngibbons@jppza.jnj.com