The South African men’s hockey team finally turned opportunities into goals, taking their frustrations of the pool matches out on Egypt by beating them 5-1 in the classification matches of the Olympic tournament. Megan Hall finished 36th in the women’s triathlon and diver Jenna Dreyer moved up in the 3m springboard preliminaries.
Special Report: Olympics 2004
Last season’s runners-up, Monaco, as well as Inter Milan, Liverpool and Deportivo reached the group stage of the Champions League on Tuesday. Monaco hammered Slovenian side Hit Gorica 6-0, after winning the first leg 3-0. Inter Milan put on an impressive display to defeat Basel 4-1 and advance.
Another weightlifter has failed a dope test at the Olympics, bringing the number of known cases to 10, it was announced on Wednesday. Sam Coffa, vice-president of the International Weightlifting Federation, said that the athlete was prevented from competing after the positive test was confirmed.
Special Report: Olympics 2004
I remember being present at the time of the announcement of the results of the first democratic election when President Thabo Mbeki — then not yet president nor even deputy president — spoke, seeking analogy from a line from Wordsworth’s poem on the French Revolution: ”Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive”. And indeed it was, and for many of us it has been since then. But not for us all, writes Arthur Chaskalson.
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It stood for 350 years, bearing fruit for a dozen generations, but strong winds finally brought down what is believed to be the oldest pear tree in Scandinavia. Ever since the mid-1600s, the massive pear tree had helped feed the people outside Enkoeping, an hour’s drive west of Stockholm.
He had to change his tires 11 times and once fell to the ground and spent the night in a ditch. But a Russian amputee, Vladimir Ksenchak (65), finally rolled into Madrid on Tuesday after a 5 000km wheelchair trip designed to inspire the disabled and to denounce drugs.
The trial of 14 suspected foreign mercenaries, accused of plotting a coup in Equatorial Guinea, resumed in Malabo on Tuesday when their South African alleged ringleader was cross-examined by defence lawyers. Nick du Toit, who has admitted a limited role in a coup bid in Equatorial Guinea, responded to questions by lawyers.
Mann’s million-dollar promise
The Pietermaritzburg High Court has reserved judgement in an urgent application by French arms dealer Thint for the withdrawal of criminal charges linked to South Africa’s multibillion-rand arms deal. After hearing legal argument on Tuesday, Judge Nick van der Reyden said he will make a decision as soon as possible.
The British scientist who masterminded the ill-fated Beagle II probe, which vanished while attempting to land on Mars, said on Tuesday he wants to try again and has asked Nasa for a ride to the Red Planet. He was speaking at a press conference to unveil an investigation into what went wrong with Beagle II.