The South African women’s football coach, Desiree Ellis, on the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) Cup, and why it is important to plan for a future after football. 

<ol>
<li>What are your biggest challenges coaching a national women’s soccer team? </li>
</ol>
I think it’s the same everywhere when you have to prepare for a match a week before the game.
<ol start="2">
<li>Would you say being a coach in South Africa is a lucrative career?</li>
</ol>
We have a semi-professional league, the Sasol League, many of the coaches have their own jobs so it is all about the passion and trying to make a difference.
<ol start="3">
<li>The biggest lesson you learned in your career? </li>
</ol>
Together, we can do anything. Football is a team sport but it is not just about the players, but the staff as well, each and every one has to play its part for it to be a success.
<ol start="4">
<li>As a woman, have you experienced discrimination on the field and how did you deal with it? </li>
</ol>
[There is a] lot of stereotyping that girls should not play football, but I had the support of both my parents and that’s all that mattered. I remember going to a match and guys walking by saying ‘let’s go watch these girls play and have a laugh’. After the game, they were our biggest supporters. We just tried to play the best we could and showed that we love the game and have the skills to play.
<ol start="5">
<li>What qualities do you believe make a good team? </li>
</ol>
There will always be special players in any team but teamwork is the most important for me, as the individualism of the special players will shine brighter through teamwork. The 2018 FIFA World Cup is a perfect example. The teams with a special player left the competition early…the likes of Belgium, England, Croatia and France who had special players but were more reliant on teamwork stood the test of time with France beating Croatia in the final.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/sometime-in-africa/2012/10/01/football-money-africa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE: Football is Money in Africa</a>
<ol start="6">
<li>What is the one thing soccer players take for granted? </li>
</ol>
Not taking care of tomorrow as there has to be a future after football because not everyone is going to play professional football. When I was playing, especially in the national team, 90% of the players were unemployed but now 90%, if not more, have degrees or are currently studying.
<ol start="7">
<li>What is more important to you, time or money? </li>
</ol>
Definitely time. It might take a lot of time and effort to get where you want to be, but it will be time spent wisely.
<ol start="8">
<li>How do you stay financially prudent? </li>
</ol>
I try to stay within my budget but sometimes it’s very difficult as I like to spoil my nieces and nephews but I also try to save money monthly.
<ol start="9">
<li>The moment you step on the field, you….?</li>
</ol>
Immediately focus on the task at hand, getting the most of our training session; reaching our objective for the session.

Football – 2018 COSAFA Womens Cup – South Africa – Team Announcement – SAFA House

A Future After Football

Hein Wagner throws himself into extreme adventure to boost the confidence of others living with blindness. His daring trysts have been across land, air, river and sea.

Hein Wagner, entrepreneur, global speaker and adventurer, has cycled up rocky mountains, jumped off flying planes, run on ice and negotiated Africa’s fiercest rivers.
He has successfully completed challenges such as the Absa Cape Epic, the Antarctica Marathon, the Two Oceans and New York Marathons, the Ironman and Cape Town Cycle Tour. He has also rafted down the rapids of the Zambezi River, and climbed the highest mountains of the Western Cape. Now 46, he has had more adrenaline-driven experiences than most.
And Wagner is blind.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-37335 alignleft" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/photo7-199x300.jpg" alt="" width="199" height="300" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/photo7-199x300.jpg 199w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/photo7-300x453.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/photo7-600x906.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/photo7.jpg 636w" sizes="(max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px" />
He was born with a rare, inherited eye disorder called Leber Congenital Amaurosis resulting in vision loss at an early age. The doctors discovered it when Wagner was six months old.
When he was six years old, his parents made a tough decision – to send him away to a boarding school 100 kilometers away from home.
“It was a hard thing for me, I was just used to the family home – I could move around on my own, I could just get by on my own, I could sort myself out. My parents decided to send me away…To me, it was quite traumatic, I got lost. At home, I could find my way anywhere, the bathroom, kitchen and bedroom, it was comfortable,” says Wagner.
“As a small child, you kind of don’t understand why. Later, you realize the decision was harder for my parents to make; they had to send me away but it paid off. It was the ideal place for me to work with teachers qualified to educate blind kids, and also meet other blind children with similar challenges.”
School was a precious learning experience, but the hardest part was in his teenage years, especially on weekends.
“The sighted kids could make eye contact with people. Going into adolescent years, they made eye contact with the girls, and they could interact by just looking or just winking.”
Without that ability, says Wagner, it was like standing in the back of a queue. But he always looked for another perspective.
“It was all in your head because there’s other ways of doing it. You don’t have to see to have a successful relationship for that matter. But you feel like a misfit because of how society treats you; they think you can’t do this or do that, but that’s not true, the only thing that doesn’t work well is my eyes.”
He proved his physical prowess in every possible way.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-37336 size-full" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/photo5.jpg" alt="" width="949" height="749" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/photo5.jpg 949w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/photo5-300x237.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/photo5-600x474.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/photo5-768x606.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 949px) 100vw, 949px" />
In 1998, he was part of the Blind Cricket South Africa team that won the Blind Cricket World Cup that year.
By the time Wagner finished school, he started playing around with computers. Voice technology had just started to develop and a blind person could actually work on a computer. He was fascinated with computing and ended up working in Information Technology for 12 years, working his way up the career path. He did a number of computer courses including one stint for three years in London that equipped him well.
He managed teams in companies such as Thawte-Verisign, a tech firm founded by Mark Shuttleworth, the first African to travel to space as a tourist.
Wagner enjoyed the corporate life, and met the $50 million targets. In 2014, he quit – to pursue his passion for action beyond the boardroom.
“People wanted me to speak about my adventures because at the time I had done a few of the Cape-to-Rio yacht races.”
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/focus/2015/02/01/blind-not-will-farm/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE: ‘Blind Or Not, I Will Farm’</a>
Wagner discovered his adventurous side as a teenager. He was up at the Table Mountain in Cape Town six times. People would never stop talking about the view and he wanted to experience it too. It was after his first hike – it took him six hours to get to the top – that he fell in love with nature.
“I felt some sense of achievement, and the other thing I realized on the way is that it was so much bigger than I imagined. You also have a sense that the top of the mountain is flat, but it’s not; it’s rocks,” he says. His view was different from everyone else’s and it was no less beautiful.
His adventurous streak led him from one exciting experience to another.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-37341 size-large" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/photo8-1024x683.jpg" alt="" width="740" height="494" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/photo8-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/photo8-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/photo8-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/photo8-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/photo8.jpg 1654w" sizes="(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" />
&nbsp;
“Things got a little bit more [hectic], I did the land-speed record. The first one was in 2005. I drove a Maserati at 269.2km/hour, beating the record, which was 269km/hour. Then a Belgium blind guy drove a Lamborghini at 308km/hour. So my navigator and I went back and did 322kms/hour on a runway in Upington with a [Mercedes-Benz] AMG 65 black. The record still stands,” he says.
Wagner also jumped off Victoria Falls, a 111-meter jump. He went into it without knowing how long the jump would be nor knowing what he was jumping towards.
“I got on to the bridge, met the guys and let the guys put stuff around my ankle. You can see the loop going up and down, but I don’t have that luxury. I had to trust them immediately. When you are blind, you have to shift your trust all the time, because you rely on people many times when you actually don’t know them. You observe and learn to trust quicker,” he says.
The reason Wagner is always hurling himself into extreme adventure, he says, is to lift the profile of people living with blindness. It is to push the boundaries and see how far the human spirit can go, but to also inspire.
<blockquote>“I’m blind, what’s your excuse,” he says.</blockquote>
Today, Wagner is a motivational speaker. People, companies and sports clubs were keen to hear him talk about his life.
“I realized people enjoy my sense of humor, the things I talk about. They started offering me money. I realized there may be an opportunity in this. Today, I have been running a successful business for the last 14 years, and speak all over the world.”
However, he had a rough start; the first three years were difficult. He had just quit and had no budget for marketing. He relied on presentations. His first talks were at schools, simply because young learners were brutally honest when it came to feedback.
Step by step, he grew, investing time and energy in his business. Besides South Africa, Wagner also speaks overseas.
Beyond his daring trysts across land, air, river and sea, Wagner’s greatest achievement is he accepted his condition, turning adversity into opportunity.

Hein-Wagner-609

Never Blind To Possibilities

Affable South African soccer star Bongani Zungu, who’s in one of the top five leagues in Europe, speaks about his next big career goal – and he’s only 25.

Bongani Zungu is in many ways the poster-boy for South African football, a skilled technician whose ability on the pitch is matched by his determination and desire off it.
The Bafana Bafana midfielder has been something of a rarity of late – a player who has made the step up to feature in Europe and not just succeeded, but also taken his own game to a new level in a rapid rise through the ranks.
It did not come easily for the 25-year-old, who at times was riddled with self-doubt, but he had the grit to work through the hard times and now finds himself at Amiens in France’s Ligue 1, considered one of the top five leagues in Europe and therefore the world.
“I have always worked hard and set myself goals to achieve… I have never got to a point where I thought, ok, I have made it,” Zungu tells FORBES AFRICA.
<blockquote>“My first goal was to be a professional footballer and I achieved that. Then I wanted to play for the national team and I achieved that too.</blockquote>
“My next goal was to play in Europe and I have managed that also. But for me now, it is important to take a step up to play in a competition like the [UEFA] Champions League. That is my next goal and something I am working hard towards.”
Zungu missed the start of the new 2018/19 season in France with injury, and was also the subject of a reported €7-million ($8 million) bid from Greek side Olympiakos, which would make him the most expensive South African footballer ever.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/sport/2014/11/01/african-football-cup-aces-sleeve/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE: African, Football, Cup Up Aces’ Sleeve</a>
The link to the Greek giants is their Portuguese coach Pedro Martins, who Zungu forged a strong bond with when the pair were together at Vitória de Guimarães in Portugal.
And that part of his European journey tells you everything you need to know about the affable Duduza-born star.
Zungu made his professional bow in the 2011/12 Premier Soccer League season for Dynamos and later University of Pretoria in the National First Division, but his attributes quickly caught the eye of Mamelodi Sundown coach Pitso Mosimane.
He made the move to Chloorkop (the training and administrative offices of Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club) the following campaign, with Sundowns holding off a number of other suitors, and immediately made himself a first team regular with his quality on the ball and eye for goal.
“I felt very comfortable at Sundowns from the start, I had a very good relationship with Coach Pitso and especially [assistant] Coach Rhulani [Mokwena]. I owe them a lot for the opportunity and I kept in touch with them long after I left the club.”
After three seasons, Zungu was snapped up as a free agent by Vitória, but he arrived at the club with a long-term injury that left him unable to train and not looking the part.
“When I arrived at the club, I think they [the other players] looked at me limping around and overweight and wondered what I was doing there. It was a very frustrating time for me because this was my big break to play in Europe and I couldn’t prove to them what I could do.”
But Zungu made his recovery his focus and rather than wallow in his misfortune, ensured that when he was fit again, he would be both physically and mentally ready for the challenge.
His opportunity would come, ironically, when an injury to teammate Rafael Miranda sidelined the experienced Brazilian and Zungu was thrust into the side at the end of 2016.
He would not look back, establishing himself as a regular, and earning almost cult status among the fans, who loved his languid style.
“The supporters were great to me, they gave me a lot of encouragement from the first time they saw me play. Maybe it was because they had to wait so long to see me because of my injury!
“And the coach Pedro Martins, he is a lot like Coach Pitso, he is very demanding of his players, but in a good way. He knows how to get the best out of you as a player and that certainly helped me. He is so disappointed if you do not reach the level he thinks you should be at.”
There was talk of a move to Portuguese giants Benfica after the end of that 2016/17 season after Zungu scored in a Portuguese Cup final loss to the Lisbon side, but in the end he made a late transfer deadline move to Amiens in France, a step up in terms of league.
He had another successful 2017/18 season, making 28 appearances in all competitions, and he appears ever closer to that ultimate club goal of playing in the Champions League, though he will likely have to make another move to achieve it.
“It’s been my dream, it always will be my dream. I hope I can achieve it one day because for me to feel like I truly ‘made it’, I think I need to be playing on the biggest club stage of all and that is the Champions league.”
&#8211; By Nick Said

SL Benfica v Vitoria Guimaraes – Primeira Liga

The Biggest Goal Of All

Siya Kolisi’s elevation to the captaincy of the South African national rugby side drew global interest for what it symbolized but he admits it has been a tough road to earn his place as arguably the most iconic player in the country.
Kolisi comes from a poor Eastern Cape background and having faced a number of tests of his own strength and perseverance, has risen to be among the most inspirational sportsmen in South Africa.
The importance of having a first black captain of the Springboks, which during apartheid was seen as the preserve of the white minority and the political power they yielded, cannot be understated and as such Kolisi has been fielding interviews from around the globe, including American network HBO, with the United States certainly not a traditional market for rugby content.
It is perhaps hard for younger generations to understand why Kolisi being handed the role – and wearing the same number six jersey that Francois Pienaar and former South African president Nelson Mandela at the 1995 World Cup final – is such an important moment for South African rugby, but it is all about making the game more inclusive to all races.
Anecdotal evidence of South Africans who had never watched a rugby match before rushing home to be in front of their television sets for Kolisi’s first test leading the side against England at Ellis Park on June 9 were plentiful.
Suddenly, there is a role model, an individual that many black South Africans can identify with, leading the team against another major rugby power.
<div id="attachment_37071" style="width: 750px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-37071" class="wp-image-37071 size-large" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/GettyImages-694540678-1024x682.jpg" alt="" width="740" height="493" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/GettyImages-694540678-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/GettyImages-694540678-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/GettyImages-694540678-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/GettyImages-694540678-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/GettyImages-694540678.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" />Siya Kolisi of the Springboks during the Castle Lager Incoming Series 1st Test between South Africa and France at Loftus Versfeld Pretoria, South Africa. Photo via Getty Images</div>
But Kolisi admits that it needed a stern few words from Stormers coach Robbie Fleck in 2016 to push him in the right direction after making little impact in the early part of his career as he battled with the demands placed on a professional rugby player.
“I had a conversation with the coach and he told me I had to grow up, basically,” Kolisi tells FORBES AFRICA. “Since that day, I haven’t looked back. It’s not been easy, it’s been tough. I won’t lie, I had to mature a lot.
“Obviously now, I’m a leader at home as well, I have got kids that I must be a role model for. I had to change a lot of my ways.”
Kolisi was raised by his grandmother in the Zwide township near the coastal city of Port Elizabeth, but his sporting prowess earned him a scholarship to the prestigious Grey High School and changed his fortunes.
“I’m grateful to her, because she did everything she could to give me a life. She would go without food so that I could eat,” he said recently at a press conference.
“I couldn’t speak a word of English when I first attended Grey High, but my mates taught me and helped me with homework.
“Obviously, coming from the township and not having a lot, and coming to Grey, your dreams start becoming much bigger because you have so much. You have everything you need to be whatever you want to be.
“I started dreaming big. When I was in the township, to think that I would be here, you don’t dream like that. That’s my dream one day, to change that mentality [for others].”
Kolisi was snapped up by the Western Province Rugby Union in 2010, lured to Cape Town by their then coach Rassie Erasmus, who is now in charge of the Springboks.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/woman/2014/08/01/springbok-women-step-it-up-for-big-game/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE: Springbok Women Step It Up For Big Game</a>
He was handed the captaincy of the Stormers at the start of 2017, but there were still some murmurs of discontent from skeptical sections of the public when he was given the reins of the Springboks in June, with critics saying it was a political appointment to appease the South African government and deliver transformation targets for South African rugby.
<blockquote>“I can’t control what other people think of me, I can only control what I can do on the field,” Kolisi says.</blockquote>
“I think it is a genuine appointment by coach Rassie because he is not that kind of a person. I have known him since I was 18 years old. We sat down and he was straightforward with me and that is how it is. You always know where you stand with him.
“Coach Rassie is not a politician and neither am I. I am a rugby player and all I want to do is to play well and inspire South Africans of all races.
“I know how much of a big deal this thing is for the country and it is a great thing for me to be a role-model. As a Springbok, it is not only about rugby, it’s the things you do off the field.”
Kolisi’s first series in charge ended in a 2-1 home success over England and with a World Cup in Japan looming next year, he could be selected to lead the side at that global showpiece tournament.
But with other players who were previously named as captain ahead of him returning from injury, such as loose-forward Warren Whiteley and lock Eben Etzebeth, the ball will be in Erasmus’ court to see if he will stick with his historic appointment.
&#8211; By Nick Said

South Africa Press Conference

The New No. 6 Role Model In Rugby

Simidele Adeagbo, the first Nigerian Winter Olympian at PyeongChang 2018 and the first African and black female skeleton racer at the games, is using the sport to uplift other young women.

In 2008, Simidele Adeagbo was determined to qualify for the Beijing Olympics. Every muscle, every cell, in her body was tuned and trained to accomplish this dream.
A place at the world sporting event would be a culmination of a decade of sweat and tears in athletics, a journey she began while in elementary school.
The catalyst was winning a race at school that propelled Adeagbo to become a four-time National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) champion as well as the triple jump record-holder for the University of Kentucky.
Adeagbo put everything she could into her Olympic dream but destiny made her fall short, literally. She failed to qualify for the Olympics by eight inches and just like that, it was all over.
“I went all out and I put everything I could into qualifying. I worked with the best coaches and best facilities. I had two good tries and I just came up short. Of course I was disappointed but I was satisfied with my effort and at that point, I was ok with moving on in life and walking away from athletics,” says Adeagbo.
She moved to South Africa to begin her new life away from competitive athletics until December 2016 when things took on a new course.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/woman/2017/08/31/female-gamers-new-sport-stars/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE: Female Gamers: The New Sport Stars</a>
Nigerian women’s bobsled team members Seun Adigun, Ngozi Onwumere and Akuoma Omeoga made news headlines with an audacious goal to become the first team from Africa to qualify for the winter Olympics.
“As I was reading it, I felt really inspired and excited and I thought it was really cool. So something inside me rose up and I thought I wonder if it could be something I could be a part of?” recalls Adeagbo.
The bigger picture for Adeagbo was recognizing how significant it would be to make history as part of the Nigerian team, however the initial days of training were anything but smooth. She tried out for the team in August 2017 and was subsequently invited to come back to a camp in Canada.
“That was when I realized that bobsleigh wasn’t going to work out. The timing was not right to join the team. The team was already made.”
But before her Olympic hopes would be crushed again, someone introduced Adeagbo to skeleton-racing, a winter sliding sport in which a person rides a small sled, known as a skeleton bobsled, at speeds of about 90 miles per hour.
“I tell people to imagine a frozen water slide because that is kind of similar to what it might be like. The tracks are about a kilometer to a kilometer-and-half long. Depending on the track, it generally takes anywhere from 50 seconds to a minute to finish the race. Sometimes, when I am driving down the highway, I realize I am going slower down the freeway than I am on my skeleton sled driving down the track,” says Adeagbo.
The track has a number of twists and turns and the goal is to get down as quickly as possible, with the fastest person declared winner.
“Your face is usually about an inch from the ice at any given point in time. The irony of the sport is you are on the edge of danger and control at any given point in time. The best way to be in control is to be relaxed,” says Adeagbo.
Adeagbo started training as a skeleton racer in September 2017 and in 2018, became the first Nigerian to compete at the Winter Olympics in February and the first black woman to compete in the sport.
“It was an amazing accomplishment knowing that nobody had done it before and it just spoke to the possibilities out there. I was filled with pride when I qualified and knowing all the hard work that had gone into it, not only the four months before the Olympics but everything I had worked hard for during my track and field days, contributed to that moment,” recalls Adeagbo.
It’s her zeal to step out of the comfort zone that makes her successful today even if it means playing the role of a body double for one of her sports heroes, Serena Williams.
“That was an interesting opportunity, I got discovered one day when I was at work. Someone came to me and asked if I would like to audition for the role. I auditioned and that was really cool playing Serena for that day,” recalls Adeagbo.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/sport/2017/07/13/full-list-worlds-50-valuable-sports-teams-2017/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE: Full List: The World’s 50 Most Valuable Sports Teams 2017</a>
Besides sport, Adeagbo is paving the way for Africa’s youth by inspiring the next generation of girls in Nigeria through a master class developed by the Youth Empowerment and Development Initiative (YEDI).
As she puts it: “I am passionate about helping people with my God-given gifts and talents, and to inspire people to enjoy the gift of athleticism and achieve their fullest potential.”
It took 20 years for Adeagbo to achieve her dream of qualifying for the Olympics and with everything she learned on that ride, her goal is to encourage Africa’s youth to never give up on their Olympic-sized dreams – no matter what.

SKELETON-OLY-2018-PYEONGCHANG

The First Lady Of Skeleton

2017 was the year women’s sport finally got some of the respect it deserves, from men. It’s the year British tennis player Andy Murray made a statement about women in sport: that they should be treated, spoken about and assessed in the same way as men.
After losing the Wimbledon quarterfinal in July to Sam Querry, Murray was asked his views about his opponent being the first American to reach the semi-final of a Grand Slam since 2009. Rather than provide an opinion, Murray corrected the journalist by stating that Querry was the only male player to achieve that feat.
For his troubles, Murray was lauded by Serena Williams who said female players “love” him for speaking out, and she had good reason to feel that way.
At least one of Serena or her sister Venus had played in the Wimbledon final for all but three years since the 2000. In 2017, with Serena out of action on maternity leave, Venus staged a remarkable comeback from an autoimmune condition, to become the oldest Grand Slam finalist in 23 years, underlining Murray’s point.
It’s only natural that our list of sportswomen to watch in 2018 starts with a tennis player but we also look at which women to watch at three major events and a runner with a proud record to preserve.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/sport/2017/12/14/25-highest-paid-athletes-time/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE: The 25 Highest-Paid Athletes Of All Time</a>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">January </h3>
<div id="attachment_34988" style="width: 312px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-34988" class=" wp-image-34988" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Sloane-Stephens-e1516089227656-300x198.jpg" alt="Sloane Stephens" width="302" height="199" />Sloane Stephens (Photo by Getty Images)</div>
Sloane Stephens at the Australian Open
Not only did Sloane Stephens become only the fifth unseeded player to win a Grand Slam in the Open Era when she lifted the US Open Cup in September, but she also became the first American woman whose surname is not Williams to triumph at a major tournament since 2002. Her victory was made even more impressive because in 2016, she suffered a foot injury that sidelined her for 11 months and saw her ranking plummet to 957.
More important than Stephens’ victory for herself, was her emergence as a role-model for scores of young black African women. Stephens comes from a rich sporting pedigree – her father was an NFL player and her mother, a swimmer – and has been playing tennis since the age of nine. Though her form dipped towards the end of 2017, she has already shown she knows how to return strongly.
<h3 style="text-align: center;">February </h3>
<div id="attachment_34989" style="width: 307px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-34989" class=" wp-image-34989" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Bobsled-300x218.jpg" alt="" width="297" height="216" />Bobsled (Photo by Getty Images)</div>
Nigerian Bobsled Team at the Winter Olympics 
It’s unusual for Africa to be represented at the Winter Olympics, because the continent does not have the same lengthy period of cold (and often snow) needed for sports like ice-hockey and skiing but three Nigerian women, Seun Adigun, Ngozi Onwumere, and Akuoma Omeoga, aim to change that. The project is driven by Adigun, who once dreamed of becoming the first woman in the NBA, then changed her focus first to sprinting and now to bobsled – a sport in which teams of between two or four members make their way down twisting iced tracks on an engine-less sled.
Bobsled is an expensive pursuit that requires specialized equipment and training gear and, to that end, Adigun launched a gofundme campaign to raise $75,000 to aid her cause. The trio trained in western Canada and clocked impressive times in their first two qualifying events.
At the time of writing, they were placed 12th out of 13 participants in the North American Cup but with the cut off for the Winter Games only in January, they may have a surprise up their sleeves and could yet appear in South Korea.
<h3 style="text-align: center;">April</h3>
<div id="attachment_34990" style="width: 313px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-34990" class=" wp-image-34990" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Mary-Keitany-e1516089513151-300x221.jpg" alt="" width="303" height="223" />Mary Keitany (Photo by Getty Images)</div>
Mary Keitany at the London Marathon 
Think Kenya and you automatically think of runners and Mary Keitany is one of the country’s finest and quickest. A seasoned marathoner, Keitany has claimed gold medals everywhere from Seville to Delhi but she seems to save her best for the biggest races. She has won the London Marathon four times, and in 2017 broke the record for a women-only marathon, finishing in a time of 2:17:01. Doubtless, she will return to the event with an intent to dominate.
Also keep an eye out for her later in the year in November when the New York Marathon takes place. Keitany won the race in 2014, 2015 and 2016 but could not notch up a fourth consecutive win in 2017, finishing second to Shalane Flanagan. Pre-race, Keitany was tipped to win and to break the course record, something she will want to go back for in 2018.
<h3 style="text-align: center;">July-August </h3>
<div id="attachment_34991" style="width: 313px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-34991" class=" wp-image-34991" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Hockey-women-e1516089633699-300x204.jpg" alt="" width="303" height="206" />Photo by Getty Images</div>
South Africa’s Women’s Hockey Team at the Hockey World Cup
The only African women’s team at the Hockey World Cup, South Africa have historically been the continent’s strongest with stick in hand. They’ve qualified for the last five World Cups with a highest-placed finish of 7th in 1998, and have been the only African side at the event since Nigeria in 1978. But that does not mean it’s all plain sailing for them.
Though South Africa is better resourced then some of the other teams in Africa, they have also had recent hiccups. At the African Hockey Cup of Nations, played in Egypt in October 2017, the women’s team had to share a coach with the South African men’s side, but still managed to go on and win the event.
Impressively, they put 24 goals past their opposition and did not concede any, to maintain a clean sheet for the duration of the event.  South Africa won all four of their group stage games and beat Ghana in the final.
Better news for the South African Women’s team is that they have smoothly transitioned from one corporate backer to another. Investec sponsored them for five years from 2009 to 2014 and when they chose not to renew their affiliation, Private Property stepped in.
<h3 style="text-align: center;">November </h3>
<div id="attachment_34993" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-34993" class="size-medium wp-image-34993" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Janine-van-Wyk-Banyana-e1516090229593-300x213.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="213" />Janine van Wyk during the international friendly between South Africa and Ghana. (Photo by Gallo Images)</div>
African Women Cup of Nations 
The continent’s favorite sport, football, will dominate 2018, with all eyes on Russia mid-year to see if an African country can finally go beyond the last eight at a World Cup. Then, attention will turn to qualification for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations but the year will end with the African Women’s Championship in Ghana from November 17.
Unlike the men’s competition, which has been expanded to 24 teams from the usual 16, the women’s event is played between only eight teams which make the qualification, which will be contested among 24 teams, almost as important as the tournament itself.
It’s a two-stage process, the first of which will see 20 teams play off against each other over two legs with winners progressing to a second round, where the four highest-ranked African women’s sides, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and South Africa, have been automatically included. The 10 winners and the four other teams will then have home and away play-offs, with the seven victors joining Ghana in the main tournament but the pressure does not stop there.
As important as being crowned queens of the continent is, there is also an added incentive to make it as far as the semi-finals. The finalists and the winner of the usually bland third-place playoff will qualify for the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France.
Only two countries have won the tournament in its 27 year history. Nigeria are 10-time and defending champions while Equatorial Guinea were crowned champions twice. &#8211; Written by Firdose Moonda

Top Sport Stars In 2018

As another multi-billion-dollar English Premier League season ends, an African-based FIFA World Cup winner has called on clubs to band together to curb vast fees paid to player agents.
The English press is up in arms about the £41 million ($52.5 million) paid to Mino Raiola, the agent who negotiated Paul Pogba’s switch from Juventus to Manchester United.
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Enough is enough, says Terry Paine, a World Cup winner with England 1966, who has lived in Johannesburg since 1984, when he came to manage Bedfordview Country Club in the then Transvaal League.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/sport/2017/04/01/well-follow-beast-hull-back/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">We&#8217;ll Follow Wanyama To Hull And Back</a>
“All the clubs have to get together and say ‘right – are we going to cap this?’ Don’t pay more than £20 million in a deal… the line has to be drawn. They must come to an agreement and stick to it. Put it into the contract how much you pay the agent,” says Paine.
<blockquote>“But you know it will be difficult. The agents will say if you don’t want to do a deal then Real Madrid will.”</blockquote>
Fifty six years ago, Paine – who played a club record 813 games for Southampton – was one of the hundreds of players across England who threatened to strike to end the £20-a-week maximum wage for footballers. He is the Southampton club President and shuttles between Johannesburg and England in the football season.

World Cup winner wants outrageous transfer fees to end

Keeping up with the international motor industry is a lot more complicated than Keeping Up With The Kardashians – with just as many family squabbles, scandals and break-ups.
Emerging at the top of the family tree is Volkswagen, ending 2016 as the world’s largest automaker with sales of 10.3 million; just a shade more than Toyota. Face-saving news after pleading guilty to three charges in the diesel emissions affair and paying a $4.3-billion fine to settle the US Department of Justice investigation.
And remember the German giant includes Audi, Bentley, Bugatti and Porsche. In turn, Audi owns Lamborghini, and Lamborghini owns Ducati. Yes, it’s complicated.
The number three spot goes to General Motors (GM) – or to be more accurate General Motors Company LLC – emerging with a changed name from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009 thanks to a multi-billion-dollar bailout from the US Treasury.
Most of that money has been paid back and a study by the Centre for Automotive Research reveals that the GM bailout saved more than a million jobs and preserved nearly $35 billion in tax revenue.
All of the Big Three made it onto the list of finalists for the South African Car of the Year 2017. Volkswagen with the new Tiguan, the most stylish Passat ever, and the technically supreme Audi A4.
Toyota ticked the right boxes with the rugged yet comfortable Fortuner (the bestselling SUV in the country) and have kick-started 2017 with record sales and the claim that one out of every four new vehicles that found homes at the start of the year was a Toyota or affiliate brand.
GM waded in with the Opel Astra which has been gathering international and local awards along with cousin Corsa.
The voguish Astra won the 2016 European Car of the Year award in one of the toughest automotive battles of the decade and the Corsa 1.0T Enjoy drove off with Compact Hatchback of the Year at the Cars.co.za Consumer Awards.
There has been a quiet revolution happening in the ‘more affordable’ car sector over the last couple of years. In essence, it used to be a sector where (and I’m not joking) a passenger airbag was considered to be an optional extra. And ABS was by no means standard!
Now many models hovering around the $25,000 mark boast more standard features than the luxury sedans selling for four times the price tag.
Take the Opel Astra 1.4T Sport. Cruise control, halogen headlights, daytime running lights, tyre pressure monitoring, side blind zone alert, hands free parking and heated sports seats and steering wheel are all included.
And there’s more… the Driver Assist Pack helps to warn drivers of an impending collision, picks up speed restriction signs along with the following distance and automatically throws out emergency anchors to reduce the impact of an unavoidable collision.
While the tech boffins in Stuttgart and Munich seems to be intent on making simple functions like turning down the aircon a life study, the Opels are blessed with IntelliLink – the most amazingly simple communication and media platform. Which complements the modern, free-flowing interior where the instruments are stark and easy to read and the controls are ergonomically excellent – or more simply, right there at your fingertips.
Although the budget hatches seem to be poured out of a common mould, the Astra manages to distinguish itself with a touch of exterior style – in fact the Sport model is quite a stunner.
You don’t have to spend too much time on engine choice. They are all petrol and all turbo charged. Starting with a single liter of displacement, through the 1.4l to the 1.6l manual which has a claimed top speed of 235km/h and hits 100 in less than seven seconds. Youssou N’Dour would be proud.
All very impressive – as it should be. There have been many decades for research and development. The Astra has been around for more than 80 years and sold over 25 million units!
Again it’s one of those intricate family affairs. Production hasn’t been consistent since 1936 and you may be more familiar with the name Kadett. And to complicate things even further, the UK models fall under the Vauxhall banner.
Now the new Opel era beckons. The Rüsselsheim-based carmaker has enjoyed the highest sales in five years with an increase of 46,000 units. The Astra was the main driver of increased sales across Europe, being newly registered more than 285,000 times. Overall Opel managed to increase sales in 18 of 22 markets including Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and Poland.
The resurgence of Opel in South Africa is gaining momentum – over the past two years Opel sales have grown by 9.6%, compared to the market decline of 15.5% over this same period.
And no resting on their laurels. Opel is in the midst of the biggest model offensive in its long history and intends bringing 29 new models to market before 2020. Seven of them this year – hence the motto ‘7 in 17’.
“With these seven new models for 2017, Opel will become a completely different brand within the next 12 months,” says Opel CEO Karl-Thomas Neumann. “We are making electro-mobility feasible for everyday driving with the Ampera-e.”
The Ampera-e, introduced at the Paris motor show, is designed to be the compact range champion with the ability to clock up 500 kilometers on a single charge with sports car performance.
Then the flood gates open with the new flagship Opel Insignia Grand Sport, an all-wheel drive sedan with a coupé-like silhouette. The Sports Tourer, the Country Tourer, the Vivaro and the Crossland X – a new stablemate for the Mokka X.
So the future looks bright for Opel, but it may not be with General Motors as parents. They have been in talks for some time with French automakers Peugeot SA (which includes the Citroën brand) and some say it is a done deal which will rock the European industry.
The major concern is that the deal with PSA and BNP Paribas doesn’t introduce any new barriers of additional tariffs in the shadow of Brexit.
With the addition of Opel and Vauxhall, Peugeot SA will become the second largest automotive company in Europe with a market share of 17%.
“We are proud to join forces with Opel/Vauxhall and are deeply committed to continuing to develop this great company and accelerating its turnaround,” said Carlos Tavares, chairman of the Managing Board of PSA
And back in Detroit, despite ending 2016 with $11 billion of cash on the automotive side, the share price took a knock. Why? Well mainly because of President Donald Trump’s threatened wall. A full 14% of vehicles sold in North America are manufactured in Mexico!
Indeed there is more intrigue in the global car field than you will find in the 13th season of the Kardashians… even with Kanye West joining the fray.

Nomical

Astra-Nomical

South African entrepreneur Wendy Luhabe has 26 years of experience in the boardrooms of a variety of businesses. She is now adding the unlikely sport of rugby to that list.
In July, Luhabe started her stint as the first female director of the World Rugby board. Her seat on this board is surprising as rugby is a largely white male-dominated sport in South Africa.
“I’m not a rugby fan, surprise, surprise. But I’m a patriot. Over the years, I’ve watched all the Springboks’ World Cup games, but not because I’m a sports fan. Most women don’t have the luxury of watching sport because we tend to have much more important things to do,” she says. “[Like] making a home, looking after children. It’s time consuming.”
In addition to being a wife and mother, Luhabe is also the Chair and Founder of the Women Private Equity Fund and has held governance roles with Vodacom, the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), the International Marketing Council (IMC) and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE).
She was selected among 60 candidates from all over the world to help reform World Rugby, the international governing body of the sport. Luhabe was appointed alongside Mervin Davies, a former Welsh international rugby player and prominent businessman, as independent directors on the World Rugby board. Luhabe’s lack of experience in the oval-balled sport doesn’t bother her.
“We’re living in times where good governance is critical in any institution, not just sport… I think it’s more important to have business people because we are the ones that have the most governance experience than other sectors.”
Part of this governance is making the sport more popular in Africa.
“Rugby is not as well-known, or as well-entrenched, in the rest of the continent and that needs to be part of the agenda. It’s a continent of almost a billion people and there is no reason why we shouldn’t look at a strategy to make rugby as prevalent as soccer is around the continent.”
Luhabe says the sport is ideally suited to the natural athletic ability of Africans.
“Especially with Sevens [the shortened version of the game that rewards skill and pace]. I think that the African continent has a huge growth potential for rugby,” she says.
Despite rugby being one of the most brutal sports on earth, Luhabe wants to get more women playing.
“That’s where the future growth of rugby is, as surprising as it is that women play rugby.”
What about those that think rugby’s scrumming, tackling and mauling is too physical for women?
“I think that women must make the choices that they want to make; I don’t think that society should continue to make choices for women. I think that’s what’s remarkable about women playing rugby, as surprising as it is, it’s a choice they exercised and society must respect that. The women that were courageous enough to be the first to play, they are the trailblazers. In another 20 years, it will be normal.”
Being the first woman on the board of World Rugby makes Luhabe a trailblazer as well. She is part of a new group of women wrestling control of sports from the old men that have ruled for generations. In May, Senegal’s Fatma Samoura became the first female Secretary General at Fifa, football’s embattled governing body. Suddenly, sports bodies are trying very hard to get women involved.
“I suspect that they are looking for people that have the courage to challenge the status quo. In my experience, having served on male-dominated boards, you don’t find that among males. It’s only when you bring a woman into the board that the conversation changes and different questions are raised. I sense that they are really quite committed to the reforms they have agreed to and therefore they need to bring in an element that is really going to transform the leadership structures of these old and historic institutions.”
Samoura’s appointment was a surprise to many and some inside Fifa questioned her selection.
“I doubt that she would have come as far as she has if she had paid attention to those criticisms. I think women like her, and many others who break ground, women who believe in their capability and who are not as concerned about the criticism that other people have, because criticism is generally a reflection of a shift in society. When people are uncomfortable, they use criticism as a blunt instrument. I think women like her, and women like myself, are not concerned about criticism.”
Luhabe, the Founder of the Wendy Luhabe Foundation, is known for her philanthropy. Her social work will now extend to rugby.
“Sport in general has the capacity to build bridges, we saw during South Africa’s World Cup how Madiba changed our relationship with rugby, and again with the movie Invictus. We must use sport therefore to overcome social inequalities, and to level the unequal playing field and access to opportunities.”
In South Africa, rugby is criticized for its lack of transformation.
“It needs a commitment and an openness to bring in new voices and diverse people on their leadership structures. I’m not close to the dynamics of South African rugby to really know what the issues are. In the same way that World Rugby was comfortable to bring in a black woman, who has no knowledge of rugby, into their board, South African rugby needs the same openness.”
South African rugby could do with someone like Luhabe on its board – it’s unlikely to happen though.
“I think once you’ve played on the global stage, you don’t really go back, do you?”
A tough stance from a tough woman who is not going to be ruffled by any patriarchal system that rugby might have.

IMG_2349

The Tough  African  Woman  Tackling Rugby

In Luanda, Angola’s capital, a group of teenage girls sit together, chatting and giggling. They are excited to share in the parties marking 40 years since their country’s independence. One member is especially jubilant, celebrating a double victory. Earlier that year, Catarina Serra joined a team in Portugal for Angola’s first ever international showjumping tournament, bringing back a silver medal and a heightened sense of national pride.
“Portugal was the highlight… showjumping fascinates me and I always intended to pursue it as a career,” says the 18-year-old Serra, exhibiting a determination belying her age.
Showjumping is an Olympic sport, judged according to a rider’s ability to clear obstacles in the shortest time possible. While participants are not judged for style, it is widely seen as one of the most stylish sports in the world, attracting luxury brand sponsors and a jet-set elite from across the globe. While the sport may appeal to those seeking glamour and excitement, in practice it requires dedication, strength, stamina, balance, as well as empathy with and control of the horse.
Angolan riders must train regularly, face internal competitions at least once a month and are encouraged to take part in at least three regional competitions each year. While her friends enjoy leisurely weekends at the beach or the mall, Serra starts her weekends at 7.30AM, taking the traffic-logged journey to the riding school. Here she tacks up her horse, begins training, showers her down, and then starts all over with another mare.
“It is hard to balance riding, school, family, friends…” she huffs as she runs from one stable to another.
Showjumping began in France and Britain in the 18th century but is very new to Angola, where riding itself can only be traced back to the 1950s. It was then that horses were used for combat purposes by the Portuguese colonial forces against guerrillas in the Angolan War of Independence. These cavalry units, known as the Dragöes de Angola, benefited from a better view of the battlefield above the tall grass. They also held a psychological advantage over their enemy who were unaccustomed to dealing with soldiers on horseback. Since independence, Angola’s cavalry forces were expanded and the mounted unit remains an integral and highly-regarded part of the national police force. Horses were first imported from South Africa, and later from Argentina. The former Minister of Petroleum, Desidério Costa, boosted the equestrian movement further by importing the first Lusitano breed from Portugal and setting up the first riding school after independence.
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This school, Gimunalu, on the outskirts of Luanda, remains one of the top training grounds for athletes today, featuring a stadium and a riding school with a covered ring and jumping arena. It also houses a 42-box stable yard, accommodation for the riders, and several fields. In addition, a specialist hippotherapy center provides rehabilitation for people affected by motor, sensory and mental disorders through interdisciplinary training with the horses. Meanwhile, the Huila riding center at Lubango, born out of the dust in 2013, now boasts a three-hectare field, five paddocks, a 34-stable yard, three training rings, as well as accommodation and event rooms.
A mostly rural country, with many farms and a predominantly young population, Angola is now seizing the opportunity to become a major player worldwide. In 2009, it set up its own national federation for equestrian sports, Fequangola. In 2014, it was accepted into the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), the top governing body for equestrian competitions, and in 2015 it sent a team to compete in Portugal at a Grand Prix tour, the highest level of showjumping competition. In the same year, in line with the leading governing body which oversees the breeding of competitive dressage and showjumping horses, it also began its first insemination program for a local line of specialist horses.
It’s an expensive business. Contrast this with Angola’s extreme poverty and one would be forgiven for thinking that its foray into equestrian sports comes at a shameful expense. However, unlike many countries where the sport is traditionally reserved for the affluent, Angola is keen to utilize the sport as a lifeline for the disadvantaged. The mounted police unit gives free riding lessons to children of all staff, while Gimunalu also offers free lessons to stable grooms, relatives of farmers, as well as top students from the neighboring school. FEI Solidarity, a global program to support the next generation of riders, is also being implemented in Angola.
“[Showjumping] is a means to give some hope to children of a poorer background and have them practice this wonderful sport. I just love to see the smiles on their faces when they sit on horseback for the very first time,” says Fequangola Vice President for Foreign Affairs, Ginga d’Almeida.
Considering the slump in oil prices and its need to diversify the economy, Angola’s focus on equestrian sports is also pragmatic. Equestrian sport is just one of several areas targeted for creating jobs and boosting economic growth. The nation aims to attract foreign direct investment through the sale of its showjumping bloodstock to neighboring countries, as well as to boost tourism through top-class riding schools and international competitions.
Unsurprisingly, showjumping is being taken very seriously at the upper echelons of government, with President Jose Eduardo dos Santos attending the first competition held in the country in 2009. Other African nations are providing ample competition, with the FEI now boasting 14 members across the continent. Angola will be focusing on jumping in particular over the coming years, working closely with the FEI, neighboring national federations and the African Confederation of Equestrian Sports.
“I personally intend to pursue efforts… for Angola to become the most equestrian nation in southwest Africa,” says d’Almeida with a determined smile.
Sadly, the fall in oil prices and global economic recession has forced the country to tighten its belt, and the lack of funds is proving a higher obstacle than the jumps themselves. If Angola is to maintain momentum in the world of showjumping, it will need private sponsorship. Top-notch trainers, qualified veterinary surgeons and horse medicine are not readily found within the country and come at a huge cost. Add to this the maintenance of the riding schools, entry fees into international competitions, along with the logistics of getting the team there in the first place, and the costs spiral. For this reason Angola will not be competing at this year’s Olympics in Brazil.
“Unfortunately riding is an expensive sport so we need to find sponsors so we can better finance our activities. I trust that, with time, people will understand this sport better and support us more,” says d’Almeida.
While Angola faces many challenges, it holds a promising future. Serra has her eye on a particular prize.
“I would be very pleased if one day I could get to the World Equestrian Games and maybe, who knows, the Olympics,” she says.
FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez says that this is not such a distant dream.
“This is a real possibility for Angola looking towards Tokyo 2020 and beyond,” she says.
All the more reason for a double celebration at the country’s 50th independence anniversary.

The Showjumpers   Of Angola

It was a tragic moment. Strong and robust Cameroonian international football star, Marc-Vivien Foé, collapsed and died on the pitch. The cause of death – hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the thickening of the muscle wall of the heart, caused by a change in genes, which makes it harder to pump blood. The heart simply stopped.
It is this kind of sporting damage and danger that the growing DNA industry is trying to fight. South African entrepreneur, Avi Lasarow, claims his DNA testing company, DNAFit, can save sporting careers.
“DNAFit at this point do not test anything that is diagnostic or negative. Our mission is to provide positive information for better health,” says Lasarow.
The company uses a mouth swab to test 50 gene variants linked to a body’s ability to respond to training and nutrition. Key genes linked to sporting performance, such as power, endurance, speed of recovery, susceptibility to injury and tolerance to food, like carbohydrates or saturated fats, are also researched. DNAFit then provides detailed reports on how to alter diet and exercise to fit genetic make-up.
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“If you train to your genotype you can double your power and become better in what you do because you understand your body better. My vision is to work with African [sportsmen] to increase their medal count. I want to put Africa in a better position in terms of professional sport,” he says.
Although unaware of DNAFit, University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) Sports Scientist, Marc Booysen, says specific genes that regulate the structure of collagen (protein made up of amino acids) can be linked to an increased risk of injury, such as an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture.
“Genetics can also determine how one responds to training loads, responders versus non-responders, or how an individual handles the acute effects of hypoxia (a condition where body tissues are not oxygenated adequately) when ascending to altitude,” says Booysen.
Lasarow says many careers have been lost to wrong diet or training.
Take former South African cricketer, Mfuneko Ngam, one of the most promising players to emerge from the dusty Eastern Cape province in South Africa. His career was cut short by injury.
“I did all the wrong things that had a huge negative impact on my career. I would train five times a week on a tar road. Because of my disadvantaged background, I had never gone to the gym or had a proper training program. I had so much passion but I overworked myself, which got me injured,” says Ngam.
“If I had the opportunity, I would have used a product like [DNAFit]. It would have given [us] direction on how to handle my training.”
Ngam now works as a development coach for Cricket South Africa, at the University of Fort Hare.
“We are given programs to train the kids with and just hope that everyone will get the same results from it but that is not always the case,” he says.
According to Lasarow, there is no one-size-fits-all in fitness and sporting prowess. The secret, he says, lies in DNA.
“All these hyped up media diets do not always work. If you train to your genotype, with our algorithm, you can double your performance. This helps teams to put up measures in place to protect members who have higher injury scores, take longer to heal or need specialized support to maximize their potential. This makes not just the athlete stronger but the whole team because they have the knowledge,” says Lasarow.
Zimbabwean born, British heavyweight boxer, Dereck Chisora, is one of Lasarow’s customers. He had a 29-second win over Beqa Lobjanidze last year. This marked his return to the ring after an eight-month absence, following a defeat by current heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury, in 2013.
“I had tried so many things and different trainings but when I did the DNA test and started working out and eating according to my genes, I started seeing a difference. My strength has massively increased. I have more hand speed and more power than I used to,” says Chisora.
Many others subscribe to this philosophy. Lasarow works with players at football clubs like Manchester United, Liverpool and Fulham; as well as 800-meter athlete Jenny Meadows; Olympic long jump champion Greg Rutherford; 400-meter runner Andrew Steele and 100-meter sprinter Craig Pickering.
DNAFit is also being used in a pilot project to help obese people shed weight after studies revealed those who go on a diet matched to their genes can lose up to 33%.
“One lady came to us because she couldn’t lose weight. She would go to the gym, lose a bit of weight but then pick it up again. When we did the test, we found that she had 95% power. Based on that, we put her on a weights training programme which is a lot more power based and she lost weight and it stayed that way,” says Lasarow.
Johannesburg dietician, Nathalie Mat, sounds a note of caution.
“I do not feel that it is appropriate to test every person that wants to start working out. The untrained body will benefit from population guidelines with regard to exercise and diet – these are designed to be appropriate for most of the population of a country. There are some people that may require additional changes to their training and/or diets but this should only be explored when the conventional approach fails and should be done under medical supervision,” says Mat.
Wits University’s Centre for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine Director, Demitri Constantinou, says DNAFit’s claims are overstated.
“Genes may be linked to muscles that are used for speed more than for endurance… So not all people with a ‘speed’ gene will be fast athletes, and not all athletes without it will be slow. We learn more as time goes on, and applying the true science of genetics is premature in predicting performance or as talent identification. Perhaps in time it will be one factor, among others, that will assist, but certainly not the one and be all,” says Constantinou.
Lasarow works in Greece, Mexico, Spain, Turkey, New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, the UAE as well as South Africa.
According to Lasarow, sport is for entrepreneurs. He invested  around $430,000 into his company and in two years it has become $14 million.
Lasarow was the first South African to be inducted into the City of London’s esteemed Guild of Entrepreneurs; the youngest Honorary Consul for South Africa in the UK; has won the Innovation of the Year award at the 2015 Lloyds Bank National Business Awards. In 2014, he was awarded the African Entrepreneur of the Year award at the African Enterprise Awards.
No guts no glory; people say about sport. Lasarow believes it is all in the genes.

Could Your Son Be  A World Champion? Ask Me

There is a lucrative global market in memorabilia and sport is king.
In 2004, the baseball bat Babe Ruth used to hit the first ever home run at Yankees Stadium sold for an eye-watering $1.3 million. In 2012, a pair of Muhammad Ali’s boxing gloves was bought by casino owner, Lorenzo Fertitta, for $1.1 million. In 2002, the jersey worn by Pele during the 1970 World Cup final sold for $220,850.
According to Craig Trevis and his brother Wayne, the owners of Sandton Stamps &amp; Coins, a memorabilia shop in Johannesburg, to fetch a high price an item must be scarce and in good condition.
Welman Son, the owner of the Fresh Hook Fish and Chips shop in Johannesburg, is curious about a black and white photo he has owned since he was a schoolboy. It is an autographed picture of the Manchester United team that won the league in 1965. It has the signatures of the late and legendary manager Matt Busby, Bobby Charlton, George Best and Denis Law; some of the biggest names in football.
“I went to a Chinese school called Kuo Ting High School, in Johannesburg. During the holidays, my English teacher was going back home to Manchester and I asked if she would be able to get me something from Old Trafford. When I went back to school, she gave me this photograph and the autograph page as well,” he says.
Son is proud of his photo but keeps it in a cupboard.
“I’ve been a football fan, and Manchester United fan, since I was a kid,” says Son.
“I get ragged by supporters of Liverpool, so I put it away to avoid that kind of conflict. But I do boast about it. This was the team that won the European Cup for the first time in 1968.”
Son is reluctant to sell it, regardless of its worth.
“I want to hand it down to my daughter. She’s 26 and has a bit of an interest in football. The day we win, she’ll rejoice with me, and on days we lose, she’ll console me.”
If Son were to sell his prized possession, he might not get as much as he may imagine.
“In 1964/65, because [Manchester United] won the championship, they had a signing session. All the players sat at a long table where they signed the photos and passed them down. There’s no rarity or scarcity in it,” says Craig Trevis.
After a quick search on Google, the Trevis brothers find the same autographed photo on sale on eBay for £250. The photo was also sold by someone else recently for as little as £100.
The key to selling sports memorabilia is finding fans with more passion than sense. Sandton Stamps &amp; Coins sold a framed cricket bat signed by Indian hero, Sachin Tendulkar, for R28,000 (around $2,200). Although the item wasn’t rare – 500 were made – and Tendulkar is still alive, the fan was prepared to pay an unusually large sum for the signature of a player he idolized.
“He wasn’t leaving here without it,” says Craig Trevis.
The Trevis brothers wouldn’t pay much for the Manchester United photo. This matters little to Son and his daughter – for them it is priceless.

The $1 Million That Could Be In Your Cupboard

When Moruti Mthalane started boxing as an amateur at the age of 13, he always showed commitment and was destined for bigger things.
‘Baby Face’, as he is affectionately known, is from a family of seven that is heavily involved in boxing. His father, Michael, used to train him and his older brother, Innocent, was a national champion. He grew up in Durban, in the KwaZulu Natal province, and just like most kids in his neighborhood he was an avid football fan and supported Orlando Pirates. However, his passion for boxing took over and he is now the current IBO flyweight champion and former IBF flyweight champion.
<div id="attachment_3749" style="width: 210px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3749" class="size-medium wp-image-3749" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/121706512-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" />RUSTENBURG, SOUTH AFRICA &#8211; AUGUST 21: Aaron Mokoena and Baby Jake Matlala during the SA Sports Awards from Sun City Superbowl on August 21, 2011 in Rustenburg, South Africa. (Photo by Frennie Shivambu/Gallo Images/Getty Images)</div>
“Sport has always been part of my life. I remember back in the days as a youngster I used to play soccer with other kids in Durban. I preferred to be around the brilliant players who were capable of dribbling and scoring goals. Pirates were my favorite team and I used to admire Steve Lekoelea because he was such an exciting player, a good passer of the ball and he used to create scoring opportunities. However my passion for boxing took control and I concentrated on spending more of my time in the ring,” he says.
“I have always been focused as a boxer and I had ambition to make it to the top level. I was confident that I would make it because whenever I went to the gym I gave my best.”
When Mthalane turned professional at the age of 19, he realized he had to take his boxing more seriously. Throughout his career, he has had many tough bouts and fought all over the world. Now, at the age of 32, he feels there is still a lot he can offer in the ring. One of Mthalane’s biggest highlights was when he won the IBF world flyweight title against Julio Miranda of Mexico in 2009.
“I always make sure that I prepare well for my fights. I respect my job as a professional boxer and I arrive on time at the gym. It is very important to work hard in the gym and give all the necessary effort in whatever I do. I have the winning mentality and I am always determined to give everything that I can against whoever I face. I like to attack, even when it is tough in the ring. I just need to remain optimistic that I can do it. My victory against Julio Miranda was fantastic, I was very happy with my achievement when I won, you could just see the way how I celebrated that it really meant a lot to me.”
He has not looked back since that fight and feels that under his manager and trainer, Nick Durandt, his reign as a world champion will continue.
“It is good that I am working with Durandt as my trainer because he is the best. He has always guided me well when we are preparing for the fight. I have been working with Nick for a very long time and we have had a very good relationship,” he says.
Mthalane was stripped of his IBF belt when he pulled out of his mandatory defence against Thailand’s Amnat Ruenroeng last year. That fight was set to earn him R120,000. He was instead offered R1 million to fight Filipino Jether Oliva for the vacant IBO title – he won the fight and has since defended the title.
<div id="attachment_3748" style="width: 175px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3748" class="size-medium wp-image-3748" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/000044455-165x300.jpg" alt="" width="165" height="300" />October 2006. 40-year-old South African boxer Dingaan Thobela, &#8220;The Rose of Soweto&#8221;, makes his comeback in the boxing ring later this month in Johannesburg. Feature text available.</div>
Mthalane is inspired by the likes of Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, who recently fought in the highest-paid boxing match the sport has ever seen. What does the South African think of the huge sums these superstars were paid?
“It is very encouraging when some top boxers in the world get paid well. It is very good for the sport.”
“I have always been interested in watching other top boxers around the world. I used to enjoy watching the heavyweights, the likes of Riddick Bowe, Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield. Whenever there was a big heavyweight fight, I woke up early in the morning to watch the fight. I really enjoyed watching Bowe, his style really impressed me.”
Though he is disappointed that boxing does not get the television coverage it deserves in South Africa, Mthalane is determined to emulate past South African heroes such as ‘Baby Jake’ Matlala and Dingaan Thobela.
“Here in South Africa we have also produced many top professional boxers. I admired the late Baby Jake’s fighting style. He was very short but he used to give the taller fighters a tough time. It was really exciting watching him fight, his movements in the ring and the way he used to throw punches impressed me. There is a lot that I gained and learned from watching how him fight. I am the type of fighter that likes to attack. Even when it is really tough in the ring, I am always determined to give my best.”
Many boxers around the world have fallen victim to bankruptcy when their careers come to an end. Most did not make wise decisions with the money they earned. However, it seems to be a different story with Mthalane.
He is aware that boxing careers are short and has invested his money while he is earning it. Many up and coming boxers look up to him and he is always prepared to give them advice.
“I am so thankful that I got an opportunity to be a professional boxer and through what I earn I am able to look after myself well.”
“I believe I will still have a good life after I retire from boxing because I am not just thinking about now. I have invested a lot for my future. I live a clean lifestyle and I always make sure that I hang around the good people. It is very important for youngsters to follow their dreams and do the right things in life. Discipline is very important in boxing. One has to be focused inside and outside the ring. I encourage the young boxers to be very committed and work very hard in the gym. In order to be ready for the fight, one has to take the right steps during the preparations,” he says.
Mthalane is a religious man and a huge R&amp;B fan. In his downtime he listens to R. Kelly and Brandy.
He has proven his worth in the ring and is determined that there is a lot more he can offer. It is now up to boxing administrators and promoters to ensure that boxing is followed by millions in Africa and the boxers get rewarded for their hard work.

The Baby-Faced Assassin

As a former South African Olympic swimmer, what qualities did you develop from the sport?
I started swimming when I was eight and trained every day for six hours until the age of 27, so I think that made me a determined person with a strong spirit.
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What does an aspiring athlete need to succeed, and did these qualities serve you well in life?
I wouldn’t be who I am today without my swimming and sport. Every athlete needs to understand the true values of sport, such as discipline, respect for oneself and others, as well as learning to make an effort and instil team spirit. I learned what duty means during my time as an athlete, as well as responsibility towards the country I represented. I think this prepared me well for my current role.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-6136" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FWA-2014-Apr-May-042-044-ENTR-Monaco-TW-001-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" />
There must have been challenges, such as learning French and Court Protocol, when transitioning from your life as a South African Olympic swimmer to Princess and wife of Prince Albert?
Yes of course, and I embraced these changes with the help of my husband, who has always been my strongest support.
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You are passionate about children being water safe.
The Princess Charlène of Monaco Foundation was established in December 2012 and our primary aim is to save children’s lives. It is something I am very passionate about. So many children die every year because they can’t swim. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 400 children and more than 1,000 people drown every day. Some three million children are rescued from drowning every year, with some suffering severe injuries as a result. These figures are terrible. It’s so important to raise public awareness of the dangers associated with water and to teach life-saving techniques to children. The skill of swimming can also be a gift that a person passes on to the next generation.
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What are the foundation’s current projects and what projects do you have in the pipeline?
This year will see a continuation of activities in Morocco and South Africa, where our projects have been set up. There’s a busy year ahead as we’re also considering some ambitious projects in India, Bangladesh, Thailand and Mauritania. These are all countries where the number of deaths by drowning is particularly high.
In France, we will be holding a ‘Learn to Swim’ program for 350 under-privileged children, with another water safety day planned in Dinard for 150 children. We are also planning a ‘Swim to Survive’ program in Quebec for more than 3,000 underprivileged eight-year-olds and a ‘Water Safety’ day for young children in Tustin, California.
In Monaco, we will be partnering with the Sea Rescue and First Aid Training Center to train children in first aid and the rules and basic skills of life-saving. This is in addition to swimming lessons, which are already part of the school curriculum.
We are also currently studying low-cost easy-to-instal portable pools that could be the solution for places that lack the financial means to build the traditional concrete or fiberglass pools.
These are all the main projects, but we are studying many more.
There is no way I could do any of this without help and the foundation also has a network of ambassadors in different countries to set up projects and look out for young talent. It would be wonderful if the media supported me in increasing world awareness on the importance of water safety for children and such support would be a good start to enable us to save children’s lives.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-6137" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FWA-2014-Apr-May-042-044-ENTR-Monaco-TW-002-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" />
What work has the foundation undertaken in South Africa?
In July last year, we established our first ‘Learn to Swim’ program in Durban under triathlete and sports coach, Dominique Donner-Rodd. Already over 130 children have taken part, including children from two orphanages. The foundation also helps promising young sports talents who lack means, mostly financial, to realize their sports potential. We currently have two brilliant young South African swimmers – 12-year-old Khwezi Duma who has represented South Africa in the junior category at the age of 10. She has already won seven gold medals during her short career. Our other star is 11-year-old Zoe Frank, a member of the South African women’s team, who has already broken six records in her category and is training for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
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What other organizations are you involved with, apart from the foundation?
I am very proud to be a member of the board of the Princess Grace Foundation USA and I am also Honorary President of Monaco Against Autism. I think it’s very important to support and encourage disabled people and I am Ambassador for the Special Olympics, as well as Peace and Sport. I have also been appointed co-patron of the Giving Organization Trust, a group of South African charities that deal with issues ranging from AIDS among underprivileged children to the protection of the environment. So I’m pretty busy.
As Monaco’s first lady, you also preside over the Principality’s National Day celebrations, the Monaco Grand Prix, the Rose Ball and the Annual Red Cross Ball, and attend many social events with the Prince, such as the recent Winter Olympics. Any tips for coping with such a hectic schedule?
If someone has a tip for me… it will be much appreciated!
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Do you follow fashion trends or favor specific designers?
I don’t follow trends and I never wear something to try make a statement.
What is the ‘must have’ item of clothing or accessory in your wardrobe?
Jeans and a white t-shirt.
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Where is your favorite holiday destination in Africa?
Anywhere the sun is shining.
<div id="attachment_6135" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-6135" class="size-medium wp-image-6135" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FWA-2014-Apr-May-042-044-ENTR-Monaco-TW-004-300x221.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="221" />Cap Town Decembre 2011 Prince Albert of Monaco and Princess Charlene of Monacos meet the Desmond Tutu at the Desmond Tutu Foundation</div>
Lastly, having successfully taken your place on a tough global stage under the glare of the world media, what advice do you have for young women starting out in the business world?
To be themselves always, and to remember the words of Nelson Mandela: “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

The Olympic Princess From Johannesburg

The diamond, beautiful and rare, must first endure searing temperatures, immense pressure and the cut before it is polished to shine. For Jenna Clifford this sounds like her life.
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<h4>The Diamond Is Pressurized</h4>
Clifford was born in a time when patriarchy was first and women second. She was an only child who endured great pressure from her father, who often told her that if she wasn’t number one she was a failure.
“My father was really the guy that might have broken me as a child but it stood me in very good stead for the pain that business can bring.”
Her father was inspired by South African golfing champion Gary Player who borrowed the saying: “The harder I work, the luckier I get,” from American producer Samuel Goldwyn.
Her father pushed her into the deep end and hoped it would teach her discipline.
“For anyone, getting to the top of any field or any faculty, sport [allows one] to get their head and physicality into dedication, drive and sticking at it even when you cry… Business is the sport of the mind. Sport is the business of the body.”
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<h4>The Diamond Is Chiseled</h4>
Despite this, at 19, a naive Clifford fell prey to the so called ‘Cinderella Complex’—all she wanted was to find a prince charming, who would love and look after her. After two failed marriages, she found that a fairy tale can often be grim.
“In my lifetime, I’ve had three unions. The first one I was just under 20 and then again I got married in 1987, then again in 1993, which has been about a 23-year relationship.”
Clifford’s struggles with men were not limited to her personal life.
“When you rise as a female, you will be challenged by your male counterparts. They can’t challenge your acumen and your efficiency in what you do, but they can challenge your being, as a woman, and hit your emotional bodies to get control or compliance, which is a very subtle way of getting compliance. Other women get violent compliance… it doesn’t just happen to women who are necessarily rural and un-educated, it happens in the highest order of society.”
Along the way, Clifford has learnt from the enemy.
“I just find that I fit in better with the male counterpart from a head space point of view. I love the way men focus. They don’t pick 16 things to do, they pick one and the number two will normally be their lifestyle sport or car racing or rugby…”
Another major problem is that women tend to find it harder to support each other.
“When you keep women weak, meaning break them one by one, they can’t stand as a collective. It’s as simple as that. Women are scared to stand as a collective… and it usually takes someone like me, that’s had men shape their life destructively and possibly turned it into a positive thing.”
One of Clifford’s inspirations is Nelson Mandela, who left a lasting impression on her.
“The humility, the kindness… Color is nothing that he sees, he sees the individual… He stuck to a dream irrespective to the punishment. It’s the same principal of greatness; he just had to go through 29 years of hell to get there.”
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<h4>The Diamond Is Polished</h4>
Clifford has made peace with her past, and acknowledges its role in shaping her life. With a successful jewelry company that has international clients—including Celine Dion and Debra Messing—three loving daughters and a husband, life could not be better. As for getting on with her father’s generation?
“With strong patriarchs, my age group to my father’s age group, I get along with them exceptionally well now, because they don’t treat me like a woman. They think of me as a different being. So, I’m now okay for them because, in their minds, I’ve achieved success.”
Dedicated to the empowerment of women, Clifford will be collaborating with Doctor Dorianne Cara Weil, Professor Shirley Zinn, Dion Chang and Doctor Marko Saravanja, in a new venture called Inner Genius. The project will allow women to interact with these mentors, who will advise them on how to succeed in their personal and professional lives.
Surely, it is worth listening to Clifford, a cut in polished
diamond.

Tag: Sport

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