SUPPORT FOR BID
What’s behind Fikile Mbalula’s World Cup swivel?
Sport Minister Fikile Mbalula has confirmed that the government would support SA Rugby’s bid to host the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Mbalula made the statement in a media conference this week following the announcement that the Commonwealth Games Federation had stripped Durban of its right to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games. The minister’s support for the 2023 World Cup is a staggering turnaround 11 months after he banned rugby from bidding for any major events because of a poor transformation record. His original decision to sanction rugby was based on a report by the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) on sports transformation. Two other sporting codes were similarly reprimanded. EPG chairman Willie Basson said the group had completed a follow-up report to ascertain whether rugby had improved its record since the original report was published. Basson told Business Day the EPG had handed its new findings to the minister but he was not at liberty to disclose them. Based on Mbalula’s utterances i...
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