Out-of-competition testing of all World Cup squads has already begun as tournament organisers implement the most comprehensive anti-doping program yet at rugby union’s quadrennial showpiece.

Angela Buxton remembers the day she opened the envelope in the old woman’s home. It contained a note that read: “I focused on your game when I learnt how to play, and I wanted to thank you.” The “you” was Althea Gibson, the first black player to win a singles title at a major tournament, who died this week, aged 76.

While most pundits are backing Mzukisi Sikali to beat Hawk Makepula on Friday night at Carnival City, they could be in for a nasty surprise. The two fighters will be trading blows for Sikali’s International Boxing Organisation flyweight world title in an eagerly anticipated rematch.

All Premier Soccer League (PSL) games have been put on hold until Wednesday night to make way for the first round of the richest tournament in South Africa, the Coca-Cola Cup. The organisers could not have chosen a better time as the weather is hot and the fans have a thirst for seeing their heroes in cup action.

South Africa might struggle to match their previous achievements when the eighth edition of the All Africa Games starts in Abuja, Nigeria, on Saturday, but the men’s and women’s hockey teams will be determined to fly the country’s flag high. Both teams missed out on Sydney 2000, but for different reasons.

Graeme Smith has already displayed impatience with the insipidly modest nothing-speak expected from professional sportsmen, and if he continues to be outspoken South Africa will have produced a very fine captain indeed. However, he could have been whispering into a hurricane this week for all it helped him and his team.