SABC banking on NBA coverage

The American National Basketball Association (NBA) is to play an integral role in resurrecting the idea of a dedicated sports channel, which the SABC intends launching later this year.

After losing the rights for cricket, rugby and, most critically, the domestic soccer league to SuperSport, the SA Broadcasting Corporation is considering a fourth, sports-only channel.

It was earmarked to air in six months, said SABC head of sports Sizwe Nzimande.

“This is about catering for the sports channel so that when we do get it, we will have the right content to interest people,” he said on Tuesday, after the NBA announcement.

“We are hoping to go live on October 1.

“We showed the soccer, cricket and rugby world cups, and now have the best of the best in the NBA.”

The SABC has already broadcast three games – including the fixture between the Los Angeles Lakers and champions Dallas Mavericks two weeks ago, which reportedly attracted 2.1 million viewers.

The NBA matches will continue to be broadcast until the basketball season ends in June; the full season will be shown next year.

Nzimande was tight-lipped about the deal, but said the terrestrial channel had received a “very, very special rate” from its United States partners.

It was an amount that both felt was substantial enough to start the incubation process, Nzimande said.

“The real figure will start after the incubation, with the amount conducive for us and them.

“I want to thank the NBA and their rate that helped this deal to happen.

“Their interest was not money, it was to get the sport onscreen and give exposure to game.

“Also, the Sports Minister (Fikile Mbalula) declared basketball one of the key sports to be played in schools.”

NBA vice president for development in Africa Amadou Gallo Fall said the deal took two years to complete.

“We obviously don't disclose our financial terms, but it's a multi-year partnership that works for both parties,” he said.

“It took two years and we are glad that it's here and our fans have access to the game where the greatest athletes in the world are.”

The highly-successful league surpasses the English Premiership as the most watched sport in the world.

Fall said the NBA would play an integral role in attracting advertising income to the SABC.

“We are going to drive the initiative and get local companies to advertise with the SABC and support the sporting nation.

“With them, we feel our brand is as big as it gets.”

Nzimande saw potential growth in local basketball, encouraged by the huge television figures in the first match shown live.

The game and the local professional league took a nosedive in the mid-90s, which coincided with the broadcaster's dropping of the NBA in 1996.

“Children aspire to be soccer players like (Lionel) Messi, (Wayne) Rooney and Ronaldo because they are all that people see,” Nzimande said.

“If you go back to when it was Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal when we were growing up... The children will now get to see the likes of the Kevin Durandts and the Lebron James of this world.”

Successful Experimental MTB Weekend Draws to a Close at All Africa Challenge

Carl Calverley (Wsquared/Subaru) showed just what he is capable of on the day when he blitzed the rest of the CSA KZN All Africa MTB Challenge 45km Classic field to claim a comfortable victory and close off what has been an intriguing two days of experimental mountain biking events at Cascades MTB Park in Pietermaritzburg.

Having sat comfortably in fourth place during the first of the three 15km laps, Calverley patiently bided his time and trusted his instincts as he settled into a rhythm a little way off the frenetic pace set by early leaders Alan Hatherly (BMC-SA) and Kyle Dorkin (Ellsworth SA).

Having claimed victory in the exciting new Enduro race the day before, Hatherly soon tired and dropped off the pace leaving Calverley and Dorkin to battle it out for the overall honours.

“Alan (Hatherly) and I went out hard in the first lap but then we took it a bit easier in the second,” explained Dorkin. “On the third though Carl (Calverley) came flying through and once he got through he really attacked hard. Fortunately I managed to stay with him and then counter attacked myself and opened up about a minute lead over him.

“As we went into the last bit of single track I crashed and when I tried to get going again my chain got stuck, which took a while to get back on by which time Carl had gone past again and I wasn’t able to close the gap,” he added.

An experienced racer, Calverley had the rest of the elite riders chuckling on the frontline as he strolled up just minutes before the gun and slotted into the front row, however when it came down to it all there was no messing about for Calverley and his true colours beamed through.

“Carl’s been around for a while and when he feels like turning it on then he really lets everyone know about it. He’s a top competitor and really raced well today,” said Dorkin.

“It was an awesome race though. I have never raced the new lap format before, which was really cool and the track was awesome,” he added.

Hatherly, the young pupil from Hillcrest High School, had to settle for fourth overall as he came home behind Mark Malherbe (Coffeeberry Cafe) and ahead of the ever consistent Hilton Frost (Marshalls World of Sport) after a strong start.

“It’s a little frustrating,” said Hatherly. “I’d hoped to finish in the top three but I won my age group and got fourth overall so it’s still pretty good. It was a bit of a World Cup type start, which was really good practice for me but the pace was really hot on that first lap so I kind of knew it [having to slow down and falling back in the field] was coming,” he added.

Natalie Bergstorm deservedly claimed her hat-trick of victories at this weekend’s event having successfully battled it out in the gravity Enduro, cross-country eliminator and the 45km Classic beating the small yet respectable ladies field in all three events.

Bergstrom claimed victory ahead of young talent Ashley Parker-Moffatt (BMC-SA) and Savannah Schuit after former MTB hero Allegra Wykerd had to withdraw after the first lap due to severe lower back pain.

Meanwhile in the 30km event Gareth Cook powered his way to a sizeable victory ahead of the father and son combo Cian and Kevin Leveridge.

SUMMARY OF RESULTS – CSA KZN All Africa MTB Challenge 
45km Classic – Overall Men 
1. Carl Calverley 2:02.03
2. Kyle Dorkin 2:02.49
3. Mark Malherbe 2:04.03
4. Alan Hatherly 2:08.57
5. Hilton Frost 2:11.38

45km Classic – Overall Women 
1. Natalie Bergstorm 2:34.40
2. Ashley Parker-Moffatt 2:39.40
3. Savannah Schuit 2:49.43


30km 
1. Gareth Cook 1:35.06
2. Cian Leveridge 1:48.09
3. Kevin Leveridge 1:48.09


15km 
1. Sean van der Merwe 56.43
2. Jacques Enslin 1:02.13
3. Raymond Kock 1:02.31

Nhlapo Crowned 2012 National BMX Champ at All Africa Challenge

Sifiso ‘Skizo’ Nhlapo (MTN Qhubeka) made it two from two as he raced to victory in the drama filled SA National BMX Championships second leg which, when combined with his win in Saturday’s first leg, saw him crowned the elite men’s national champ at Alexandra Park BMX track on Sunday.

The battle between Nhlapo and fast emerging youngster Kyle Dodd had been of epic proportions throughout the tough two days of racing and, after Dodd claimed a moral boosting victory over Nhlapo in the final moto, the excitement ahead of the main had spectators on the edge of their seats.

Both riders flew out of the blocks and despite Nhlapo taking the early lead the pair found themselves side by side going into the second berm and it was anyone’s race.

Nhlapo however narrowly got his nose in front going into the corner and as Dodd attempted a brave yet somewhat questionable passing manoeuvre on the exit, contact between the two was inevitable.

The resultant collision sent Dodd crashing to the ground leaving his title hopes in tatters whilst the stronger Nhlapo who managed to stay on his bike headed for glory.

“It’s been a really good weekend of racing. Fortunately I managed to have a really good, clean race my side and it’s great to be able to get my first national title in a few years,” said Nhlapo.

“Usually I can’t make it to compete in these Championships because I’m overseas but this year the timing was perfect and I thought I’d come out here and give them a go. Kyle’s (Dodd) a great competitor and has come a long way recently so it was good to have a couple of tight races with him.

“Hats off to Pietermaritzburg for putting on a really good show this weekend. The organisers really put in a lot of effort into things, the track was great and things went really well,” he added.

Nhlapo, who only touched down in South Africa from the United States on Wednesday, now has a couple of weeks at home before heading abroad again to Europe to start his final preparations for the BMX World Championships in Birmingham and then hopefully, the London Olympics.

For Dodd it was a disappointing overall result as his crash in the second leg saw him finish fourth overall however the young talent did well to hide his frustrations and instead lapped up the overwhelming support he received from the local ’Maritzburg crowd.

“You don’t hear much whilst you’re racing but you most certainly hear everything when you’re at the top of the hill and when the crowd made such a noise before the final it really gave me so much motivation to give it my all out there,” said Dodd.

“I had a good start and I saw the line into the first turn so I went for it and got it and then I tried to get Skizo (Nhlapo) at the bottom of the second turn but I had a line that wasn’t quite there and unfortunately we came together but it’s all part of racing and well done to Skizo.

“It’s been a really good weekend for me though and Skizo’s a really tough guy to beat so to have even just taken one win off him is really great,” he added.

Dodd’s crash saw him limp home in sixth position however this exciting young talent is far better than his number four national number board would suggest.

His mishap however opened the door for Miguel Carvalho to claim second place in Sunday’s race with Christopher Austin finishing third and Godfrey Buziba fourth.

SUMMARY OF RESULTS – CSA KZN All Africa Challenge 
SA National BMX Championships – Leg 2 

Elite Men 
1. Sifiso Nhlapo
2. Miguel Carvalho
3. Christopher Austin
4. Godfrey Buziba
5. Bryce Stiebel
6. Kyle Dodd
7. Michael Kimmins

SA National BMX Championships – Overall 

Elite Men 
1. Sifiso Nhlapo
2. Christopher Austin
3. Miguel Carvalho
4. Kyle Dodd
5. Godfrey Buzibo
6. Bryce Stiebel

REINARDT JANSE VAN RENSBURG WINS ANOTHER STAGE

Reinardt Janse van Rensburg wins his first race in Europe by jumping clear 700m from the finish. The bunch had diminished to only 20 riders on the final ascent of the Mur de Bretagne.

122 riders started today’s 154km stage from Missilac to Mur de Bretagne. The racing was aggressive form the start with many riders trying to go clear of the peloton to get a time gap before the final circuits over the infamous Mur de Bretagne, a 2km ascent at 15% gradient.

The bunch split into four distinct groups on the first passage of the Mur and Van Rensburg had team mate Dennis van Niekerk in support in the front split.

“With 6km’s to go I said to Dennis I was feeling good and that he must keep me near the front and then with 700m to go I pushed really hard and got a gap. I am really happy to win for our team” said Van Rensburg.

You can see the video of today’s stage here…

There are three more stages left in the race.

"Great" Britain?

My dad wrote this mail to SkyNews yesterday.
I have to say that I agree with it completely.

Watch any international football, rugby, cricket  or (I am sure) many other sporting events and one will see England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales representing their own countries in their own traditional colours.   And so it should be!!!
So the question is: “When do these countries combine and take part as Great Britain”?
Answer:  “When it suits them” !!!
How farcical it appears to other participating countries when “Great Britain”  (Yaaaay!!! ???) takes part in the Olympic Games as one entity.   Who are you trying to kid?
Why not take it one step further?  Why not combine all the Commonwealth countries into one participating body?  After all, they supposedly all have the Queen as their sovereign leader.
 Neville Gericke
(A South African – Like most of the English cricket team)

What do you think? Leave a comment...

New Zealand World Cup posts record broadcast levels

Last year's rugby World Cup in New Zealand was watched by more young people and women than any
previous tournament with a total increase of 60 percent in hours viewed over the 2007 edition, Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) said on Friday.

In a statement RWCL said that as well as being the most broadcast rugby World Cup ever, the final, in which the All Blacks beat France, was the most-watched event in New Zealand television history "attracting a 98 percent audience share".

Total hours of coverage jumped to 14,595.

"Significantly, viewership amongst the five-45 year age group increased by six percent from 2007, while the audience gender spilt narrowed with females accounting for 45 percent, up from 25 percent for Rugby World Cup 1995," it said.

RWCL chairman Bernard Lapasset said approximately 60 percent of World Cup revenues were generated by broadcast income.

"We are in a highly competitive sports and entertainment market and therefore it is particularly pleasing to see the average viewing age decreasing in line with our decision to fully embrace digital and social media platforms to engage with new fans and promote the tournament and Rugby worldwide," he said.

SA Track Champs Hot Up In ’Maritzburg

Day two of the CSA KZN All Africa Challenge in Pietermaritzburg once again saw Nolan Hoffman put in a world class effort at the SA National Track and Para Cycling Championships, whilst the SA National BMX champs also got underway as riders took part in official practice at Alexandra Park.

Hoffman continued where he left off on day one of the track champs with wins in both the Omnium 4000m pursuit and 1km time trial events and a third place in the 15km scratch which, together with his three victories on the opening day, gave him his first title at this year’s competition.

“I’m really happy with the win and it’s great to have started the champs off with gold,” said Hoffman. “The form has been good my side and I’ve been racing dominantly over the past two days which is obviously great for my confidence and definitely gives me one up on my competitors early on.

“Going into competitions sometimes you’ve got to try force your dominance onto others and I’ve managed to do that over the past two days so I’m really happy with how things have gone so far,” he added.

Hoffman claimed his fourth win in as many starts in the six-leg elite men’s Omnium when he raced to victory in the Omnium 4000m pursuit final early on the second day however, with a long weekend ahead of him and a strong effort by his competitors, Hoffman had to settle for third in the Omnium 15km scratch event.

Instead it was Pieter Seyffert (Westvaal BMC) and Oupa Makuleke (Panda) who enjoyed the limelight temporarily as they managed to break away from the rest of the pack with close on four kilometres to go and with the Omnium front runners playing cat and mouse with each other the pair were left to battle it out between them for the spoils, which Seyffert claimed narrowly.

“Two guys managed to get away in the scratch race but the rest of the guys weren’t too worried about it with it being part of the Omnium. For me it was actually ideal because I was then able to sit back a bit because they were just taking points away from the other guys, which suited me perfectly,” said Hoffman.

Hoffman however came back strongly later on in the day to claim victory in the 1km time trial final, giving him five firsts and a third in the six Omnium events, enough to earn him his first title of the champs, a title that was held by 2011 Omnium Champion Boyd Roberts (Intellibus).

Track legend Wayne Pheiffer suffered an unfortunate fall whilst competing in his master’s sprint event and suffered some nasty abrasions to his face, shoulders and chest as well as a suspected fractured collarbone.

The cycling hero however demanded that his son Brent Pheiffer (Intellibus) stay at the track and compete in the elite men’s 1500m final and compete he most certainly did.

From the onset Pheiffer set off at an incredible pace laying down the gauntlet for the rest of the bunch to change their tactics and come after him far earlier than many would have hoped.

No one however was prepared to follow Pheiffer except for crowd favourite Oupa Maluleke who valiantly accepted the challenge and went after Pheiffer alone.

As the pair circulated alone and tired quickly the sprinters in the pack suddenly sprung into action with just over a lap to go however it was too little too late and against all odds Pheiffer claimed his first title of the champs.

In the elite ladies section Maroesjka Matthee claimed gold in the Sprint final with Tannah Robinson having to settle for second and Dalena Nel third.

SUMMARY OF RESULTS - CSA KZN ALL AFRICA CHALLENGE

SA NATIONAL TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS

DAY ONE – Elite Men

Omnium – Flying Lap Final
1. Nolan Hoffman 14:06
2. James Louter 14:26
3. Jean Spies 14:51

Omnium – 30km Points Final
1. Nolan Hoffman 68 points
2. Evan Carstens 59 points
3. Jean Spies 41 points

Omnium – Elimination Final
1. Nolan Hoffman
2. Evan Carstens
3. James Louter

DAY TWO – Elite Men

Omnium – 4000m Pursuit Final
1. Nolan Hoffman 04.53
2. Jean Spies 04.58
3. James Louter 05.01

Omnium – 15km Scratch Final
1. Pieter Seyffert
2. Oupa Maluleke
3. Nolan Hoffman

Omnium – 1km Time Trial Final
1. Nolan Hoffman

1500m Final
1. Brent Pheiffer
2. Jeanné Nell
3. Oupa Maluleke

Elite Women Sprint Final
1. Maroesjka Matthee 13.25
2. Tannah Robinson
3. Ilze Bole