Round-up of sporting events for 2015
JOBURG - From an exciting Rugby World Cup final that saw New Zealand retain the trophy, to Orlando Pirates losing out once again in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Confederation Cup, here is a roundup of this year’s big sporting events.
Of course, the biggest event to take place this year was the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England from 18 September to 31 October. The exciting tournament saw New Zealand beat Australia 34-17 in a pulsating final at Twickenham, resulting in the All Blacks winning back-to-back world cups. The Springboks crashed out of the tournament after going down to the All Blacks in the semifinals.
In soccer, Premier Soccer League team, Orlando Pirates, once again were denied CAF glory when they lost their Confederation Cup final match to Tunisian side, Etoile Sportive du Sahel on 29 November. This is the second time the Soweto giants have lost a CAF final, with the last time being in 2013 when they lost to Egyptian side, Al Ahly.
Closer to home, renowned Spanish League, La Liga, opened their first office on African soil in Inanda, Johannesburg. The league, home to FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, announced the opening in November and explained that it was part of their strategy to expand Spanish football internationally.
Another exciting sporting highlight was 18-year-old Stefan de Bod clinching this year’s Momentum 947 Cycle Challenge. The cycling event took place at Riversands Commercial Park and also saw Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio win the women’s leg of the challenge.
On a fun and sporty side, the inaugural Colour Run South Africa was held at Emmarentia Dam in September. The colourful run, also known as the Happiest 5km race on the planet, saw about 10 000 runners participating.
