In this month of human rights commemoration, it is important for the youth to be familiar with the history of the country when it comes to sports and how the nation has come to participate on international stages. All countries have entered different sports at various times, each for their own reasons. With this in mind, let us dive into the country’s most popular sports and when the country became a member in their exciting activities.
Football – Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON)
The banter that has been happening among African countries during the recent AFCON tournament has been interesting to witness. Arguments starting from who has the best music genre, the strongest economy, and the lowest crime rate, all the way to who has the best food, nothing was off-limits. Just like other African countries, AFCON scheduled the South African national football team (Bafana Bafana) to participate in the tournament in 1957, the inaugural year of the tournament. As the reader may have already guessed, this would not have happened due to Apartheid. As CAF Online states, the country would participate in 1996, not only as newbies but as hosts as well. Since then, Bafana Bafana has managed to accumulate four medals (one gold, one silver, and two bronze). Bafana Bafana, who were notoriously known as underperformers to their supporters, haves hocked their fans with their 2023/2024 AFCON performance. X (Twitter) users have also expressed their hope that the team’s recent performance is only the start of something bigger.
Rugby – World Rugby
According to the World Rugby website, South Africa was one of the first countries to join the initial rugby board called the International Rugby Football Board (IRFB). However, the rugby board would suspend the South African rugby team, the Springboks, from all international competitions due to international criticism the country received regarding the Apartheid government. This meant that the team could not participate in either the 1987 or 1991 Rugby World Cups. According to South African History Online, the team was readmitted into international rugby in the 1990s after the Apartheid regime was officially abolished. This was monumental for the country, as it also meant that diversity in the team was now a possibility. Since then, the Springboks have won the Rugby World Cup on four occasions (1995, 2007, 2019 and 2023), which is the highest record in the history of the tournament. The team has also won four Rugby Championship titles (1998, 2004, 2009 and 2019) and test matches against other teams across the world. Ever since then, the team has been regarded as one of the biggest hopes of South Africa. With their official motto being #StrongerTogether, the team has managed to attract various kinds of fans that certainly represent the rainbow nation.
Cricket – International Cricket Council (ICC)
When the first international cricket board was formed in 1909 (formerly known as the Imperial Cricket Conference), South Africa joined England and Australia as one of three official members. Even though that was the case, the South African cricket team, the Proteas, was suspended from international cricket after a worldwide resolution was taken against the government at the time. Just like in other sports, there was no special treatment on this side. According to South African History Online, the team returned to international cricket in 1991 and had a debut match against India in Calcutta, India. Just like the Springboks, the Proteas would also see more inclusion, as the rainbow nation became visible in the team. Although the team has been having a tough time when it comes to bagging World Cup trophies, it has established itself to be statistically known as the best cricket team in Africa and has been in the Top 10 best cricket team list across all formats.
Football, rugby and cricket are South Africa’s top popular sports. With regards to the country’s history, it is debatable whether these that these teams played “catch-up” to the best of their abilities. In the present day, young athletes are preparing themselves to keep these sports alive in the country and improve the victory statistics.
