Picture: The North West University (NWU) principal and vice-chancellor, Prof Bismark Tyobeka/Supplied
By OBAKENG MAJE
The Springboks will face fierce Scotland during their 2023 Rugby World Cup match opener in Marseille, France on Sunday. The North West University (NWU) principal and vice-chancellor, Prof Bismark Tyobeka said Africa needs to make use of the global sports stage.
Tyobeka further said the previous tournament, which was won by South Africa – was held in Japan in 2019 and was the most-watched rugby event in the history of the game with more than 857 million people tuned in from around the globe.
He added that, Rugby has enjoyed a massive surge of popularity as has numerous other sporting codes, but is Africa reaping the rewards of these global sports events?
“Sport is the ideal window to showcase a country’s potential and to aid in partnership building, but these windows need to be opened. For that to happen, governments’ investment in the development of sport in their respective countries, as well as private sector partnerships that can aid in this is crucial.
“Africa cannot be left by the wayside when it comes to representation on the global sports stage. As developing countries, we need to use every possible opportunity to enhance our global footprint and to show the world our potential,” said Tyobeka.
He said sport plays an integral role in achieving this. According to Tyobeka, every tournament in every sporting code where an African team is present means that the country is taking a step forward on the global stage.
“It means the connections that were not previously there are being built. It means our countries are introduced to new markets, and tourists see new, exotic locations that more often than not provide favourable exchange rates.
“Look at our national rugby captain, Siya Kolisi who not only became a national hero, but a global sports icon after he lifted the William Webb Ellis trophy at the conclusion of the 2019 Rugby World Cup. It is almost impossible to place a value on what that meant for our country and what it still means,” he said.
Tyobeka said the number of commercialisation opportunities generated by these events and the subsequent job creation opportunities are of paramount importance because they need to utilise every tool at their disposal if they want to uplift the economy.
He said injecting financial and intellectual capital into the sport can only lead to sustainable solutions to pressing problems.
“Cricket is the second biggest sport in the world with more than two billion supporters, but so far only South Africa on the continent of Africa has qualified for the ICC Cricket World Cup that will be held in India in October. That is a window closed to a continent bereft of global exposure.
“Numerous sporting codes such as hockey, tennis, and others are suffering the same fate. I want to implore our African leaders and decision-makers to commit not only to buying into the idea of sport as a global marketing tool for our continent that will enhance the prosperity of our people but also to exploring every opportunity the richness of these sports codes has to offer,” said Tyobeka.
He encourages the country to keep the sport in safe and trusted hands so that, they may one day look back and not remember a time when they did not feature on the global stage.
The Guardian 