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Mail & Guardian

Olympic Games

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Sibu Mabena, founder of Duma Collective.

Momentum shines a spotlight on social codes impacting women’s finances

The annual #SheOwnsHerSuccess campaign is all about enabling success for women

Riding high: Biniam Girmay of Eritrea celebrates at the finish line as stage winner during the 111th Tour de France 2024. (Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)

Biniam Girmay’s amazing race

Never before in its 121-year history had a stage in the Tour de France been won by a black African, until the Eritrean did it

Race: Len Tau (left) and Jan Mashiani of South Africa participated in the 1904 Olympic marathon but didn’t officially represent the country. Photo: Missouri History Museum

Who were the first Africans at the Olympics?

The story of two marathon runners in the 1904 Games held in the US exposes the racist and colonial attitudes of the day

PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 22: A general view of the Eiffel Tower ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 22, 2024 in Paris, France.  (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Bickering and ‘cold sweat’ as Paris built its Games

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo vetoed TotalEnergies as a sponsor for the Olympics

Global sporting events must end harmful partnerships to protect people and planet

Competition organisers risk accusations of sportswashing when partnering with companies such as Toyota and TotalEnergies

The United States celebrate winning the 2019 Women’s World Cup. This year’s World Cup has not yet begun, but it is already breaking new ground. (Photo by Naomi Baker – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

Women’s World Cup set to shake things up

A ball has yet to be kicked but already the 2023 Women’s Football World Cup is breaking new ground

Chad le Clos of South Africa competes during the Men’s 200m Butterfly – Heat 2 on day three of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games at Optus Aquatic Centre on April 7, 2018 on the Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Chad le Clos’ deep waters of depression

The South African swimmer went through a dip in performance last year after a traumatic experience left him struggling mentally.

3 August 1996: The Nigerian football team celebrates winning gold in the final against Argentina during the Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photograph by Henri Szwarc/ Bongarts/ Getty Images)

What lies behind Africa’s elusive World Cup glory?

Men’s national football teams have done well in junior world tournaments, but that success hasn’t been replicated on the senior global stage. What causes this and how can it be…

South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk (R) competes in the Men’s 400m Final during the athletics event at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on August 14, 2016.   (AFP / Fabrice COFFRINI )

Tokyo Olympics: Your guide to Team SA

South Africa will be hoping to build on an impressive Rio, but face a number of challenges

New Zealand’s cricketers celebrate after defeating the better-resourced and more fancied Indian national team in the final of the inaugural World Test Championship in Southampton, England. (Photograph by Alex Davidson/ Getty Images)

Can Test cricket be saved from the Big Three?

Test cricket is broken because India, England and Australia, who dominate the format, eat alone at the main table while other Test-playing nations compete for crumbs. Can the…

Unstoppable Schoenmaker set to emulate Penny Heyns at Olympics

Tatjana Schoenmaker recently set a new African record for the 100m breaststroke, lifting her prospects of being SA’s first female swimmer to win an Olympic medal since 2000

Tokyo Olympics organisers further delay decisions as Covid-19 cases rise

An expected announcement on how many fans can attend each event is being pushed back as the city faces tightening restrictions

Gerda Steyn shatters Colleen de Reuck’s South African marathon record

The 31-year-old long-distance runner is the current Comrades and Two Oceans champion

Tokyo Olympics paves the way for sport climbers

A Durban teenager will represent South Africa, when the code makes its debut at the Games in July

Long-term vision: Banyana coach Desiree Ellis, pictured in Hanover Park, is excited that her players have more opportunities than during her own playing days. (David Harrison/M&G)

Q&A Sessions: ‘Each generation must open doors for the next’ — Desiree Ellis

Desiree Ellis has a deep understanding of the development of women’s football in South Africa. The Banyana Banyana head coach talks to Luke Feltham about how the women’s game has…