South Africa Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula has "banned four of the country's sport federations from bidding for major international tournaments after they failed to create enough opportunities for black players," according to the BBC. Rugby, cricket, athletics and netball "are the affected federations." The South African Rugby Union said that "it would bid for the 2023 Rugby World Cup by the time of the June deadline." But Mbalula said that "the ban is in place for at least a year." The country's five major sports federations "agreed on various transformation targets" with the government in '14, but football "was the only one to meet its target." Mbalula said, "I have therefore resolved to revoke the privilege of Athletics South Africa, Cricket South Africa, Netball South Africa and South African Rugby to host and bid for major and mega international tournaments" (BBC, 4/25). The AP reported Mbalula said that "the ban comes into effect immediately." He said he will "review his decision when he has received the results of the federations’ transformation efforts" for '16-17. That "could be at the end of next year, or maybe only in early 2018." The move "complicates South Africa's intention to bid for the 2023 Rugby World Cup." World Rugby will "release tender documents to interested countries in May, and countries must formally confirm their intention to bid in June." South Africa has been "trying to hold the tournament again" since '11 but failed in three successive bids. Under the decision announced on Monday by Mbalula, the SARU "would not be allowed to bid for 2023" (AP, 4/25). SPORT 24 reported an SA Rugby spokesperson confirmed on Monday that the federation was "as surprised as anybody to hear the announcement of the ban and that there were concerns over how this would impact the 2023 bid." The spokesperson said, "We have always said it was our intention to go after that tournament" (SPORT 24, 4/25).
'MORALLY' RIGHT: The AP's Gerald Imray reported racially transforming South African sport was "morally" and "strategically" right, Mbalula said, given the demographics of the country. Yet, there is "fierce debate in South Africa over the fairness of some of the transformation policies that demand that domestic rugby and cricket teams select a certain number of black players over others for every game." The SARU said that it "acknowledged" the findings of the report and the sanction imposed by Mbalula. SARU CEO Jurie Roux said, "There is no question that we have more work to do and we could be moving faster, but our sport has undergone a major overhaul in how we do business and how we measure ourselves in the past two or three years, and we have definitely made great progress." Roux added that the ban will not "affect regular tournaments in South Africa like Super Rugby and the four-nation Rugby Championship" (AP, 4/25). SPORT 24's Karabo Ngoepe reported Mbalula said that the measures taken against federations "lagging behind in transformation will result in government not supporting events in the country," including the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Series tournament in Cape Town later this year. Mbalula said, "It will apply to that because it refers to international bidding and hosting of tournaments. That particular hosting will apply to the federations that have committed to hosting international tournaments that government will not rubber stamp or support." Mbalula also said that while the federations were given time to clean up their acts, they would not be allowed to host "mega events" in the country (SPORT 24, 4/25).
