South African rugby, cricket and netball are "free to bid for 'major events' once more" after South Africa's Department of Sport & Recreation "lifted a ban imposed on them," according to Alexis Haden of THE SOUTH AFRICAN. The sporting codes were "slapped with the ban" by former South Africa Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula last year over their "failure to transform" following the '14-15 Eminent Persons Group report on transformation. The ban "could have potentially scuppered the South African Rugby Union's chances of hosting the 2023 Rugby World Cup." Despite the ban, the governing body "went ahead with preliminary arrangements but still required government backing." Newly-appointed Sports Minister Thulas Nxesi "praised the sporting bodies for meeting targets set out in the Transformation Charter." Nxesi said, "I would like to congratulate rugby, cricket and netball on their improved scores. You were clearly willing to walk the extra mile" (THE SOUTH AFRICAN, 5/9). REUTERS' Nick Said reported the ban "remained in place for the athletics federation." Nxesi said that he expected sporting federations to "provide leadership on racial diversity at school and club levels." The government report also examined "participation demographics, governance, and employment equity from school to elite level." SA Rugby President Mark Alexander said, "This is great news and a tribute to the work that the sport has been doing in recent years to stay in tune and relevant to modern South Africa" (REUTERS, 5/9). In Dublin, Jack O'Toole reported Nxesi also "drew parallels" between the FIFA World Cup in South Africa and SA Rugby's desire to host the 2023 Rugby World Cup. He said, "If I were to draw on my experiences from the soccer World Cup in 2010, in terms of nation building, we saw both black and white in the stands supporting Bafana Bafana and enjoying the football. The legacy of that tournament, amongst black and white, is very important (IRISH INDEPENDENT, 5/9).
