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Mail & Guardian
2016 olympicslatest news & developments
Wayde van Niekerk is famous for being the only man to win Olympic gold and set a world record (43:03) from lane eight at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

Wayde van Niekerk, the eternal underdog

Injury saw the Olympic champion dubbed an underdog going into the race he won in record-breaking fashion in Rio. But it’s a position he knows well, and now he has an extra year…

Caster Semenya may well have run out of legal options after latest loss in Swiss tribunal
 (Michael Dodge/Getty Images)

What we talk about when we talk about Caster Semenya

Semenya’s fight tells us much about how the world sees black women, especially as they compete for gold.

Nicholas Bett of Kenya competes as he goes on to win the men’s 400 metres hurdles final during the 15th IAAF World Championships at the National Stadium in Beijing, China August 25 2015. (Phil Nobl/Reuters)

Kenya’s 400m hurdles champ Nicholas Bett killed in car crash

The 28-year-old Bett, the father of two-year-old twins, made his name at the World Athletics Championships in Beijing

Woolworths food and clothing retailer.

Wayde Van Niekerk targets Johnson double after 400m domination

Wayde van Niekerk’s bid for a first world double since 1995 now turns to the 200m after he stormed to a comfortable victory in the 400m.

Luvo Manyonga competes in the men’s long jump final at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games on August 13 2016.

​UP’s centre of athletic excellence and M&G make sport of SA’s Olympic committee

The view through a racist lens cannot see Sascoc’s contribution to the Games, writes Tubby Reddy in a right to reply.

The Games are four years away but political agendas and funding stymy SA’s potential

Political vendettas and funding shortages are stymying the potential of the country’s athletes.

South African runner Caster Semenya.  (Michael Dodge/Getty Images)

Has gender verification made women’s athletics into a sordid masquerade?

Enforcing Caster’s Semenya’s "female" body just shows how tenuous the concept is

Heroic: The best thing of all about Van Niekerk’s stellar achievement was that his gold medal and world record time were commentated on by the previous holder

Ups, downs, highs and lows — the 2016 Olympic Games, ladies and gentlemen

As Rio 2016 draws to a close, who can forget how Wayde van Niekerk stole the limelight?

US swimmer Ryan Lochte lied about being robbed at gunpoint, say Rio security sources

The olympian and fellow US athlete Jimmy Feigen omitted details of their dispute with petrol station staff.

Semenya’s legal team will ask the CAS to declare the new rules as discriminatory.

Caster Semenya cruises through to Olympics 800m semi-final with ease

The runner hardly broke a sweat as she crossed the finish line.

Pace and power: Caster Semenya won her appeal to the European Court of Human Rights to challenge whether her rights had been infringed in terms of requiring women with high testosterone to reduce those levels through drugs. (Olivier Morin/AFP)

‘Caster Semenya is just like you and me; she deserves kindness, not vitriol’

‘Caster is made of dust just like you and me. Few others have endured the public scrutiny and undeserved humiliation she has,’ writes Andy Merrick.

Wayde van Niekerk is famous for being the only man to win Olympic gold and set a world record (43:03) from lane eight at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

Wayde van Niekerk’s stunning record offers hope for a post-Bolt future

Wayde van Niekerk offers his embattled sport some hope for the future beyond the Jamaican’s retirement with a stunning world record on the Rio track.

Residents of Rio de Janeiro’s favelas say they are paying the price for the developments that were made in the Brazilian capital ahead of the Olympics.

Olympic Games buses collide with local anger on Rio de Janeiro highway

Residents from the favelas of the Brazilian capital say the global showpiece and its legacy project have done nothing but compound their misery.

Star attraction: Chad le Clos is a huge Olympic Games drawcard but Swimming SA still can’t attract a sponsor and struggles to grow the sport in South Africa.

‘Crazy’ night for firing Chad le Clos as SA claims second medal at Rio 2016 Olympics

A largely unexpected silver in the 200m freestyle and a taste of action against Michael Phelps left Chad le Clos with a night to remember.

No holds barred: Vinesh Phogat training in Lucknow before leaving for the Olympics.

India’s tough women wrestlers relish the prospect of wearing ‘girly’ saris in Rio

They have been ostracised and mocked but their successes have shattered age-old taboos.

​Refugees set aside their scars and trauma to focus on their quest for Olympic glory

A team of refugees from the world’s conflict zones is seeking glory and acceptance at the Rio Games.

​The tribe has spoken: Will Survivor Rio be titillating enough for us to tune in?

The Summer Games could easily turn into a yawn fest, but some of us are licking our chops at the prospect of behind-the-scenes drama.

Spanish players argue with referee John Wright of South Africa during a hockey match against Great Britain at the 2012 Olympic Games on August 7 2012.

​SA may not have players on Rio hockey fields but can be proud of one man: the umpire

John Wright will blow the whistle at the Olympic Games for the fifth time in August.

Behind SA’s Rio team are stories of athletes’ resolve to overcome and to win

The Olympic competitors do more than hone their skills; they fight their personal trials too.

Always colourful: A protest against Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.

Great party, shame about the legacy

Despite a frightening list of problems there is confidence that Rio will be ready for the Olympic Games – but long-term benefits are in doubt.