CRICKET WORLD CUP
World Cup success for SA
24 March 2003
With the successful hosting of the Cricket World Cup, South Africa has proved to the international community that it is capable of hosting major sporting and other events, and according to Sports Minister Ngconde Balfour is now well placed to host the Soccer World Cup in seven years' time.
Speaking after the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup, Balfour's spokesperson, Graham Abrahams, said that from an organisational point of view, South Africa had proved to the international community that it was capable of hosting major events, including sports occasions.
"From that perspective, we are well placed to host the FIFA World Cup in 2010," he said. South Africa is bidding to host the world’s biggest soccer showcase, that is set to be held on the African continent.
Minister Balfour added that from a safety perspective, the three host countries, including Kenya and Zimbabwe, showcased their ability to play host to the international community.
"Africa has earned itself a place in the world and proved capable of staging events of this magnitude," he explained.
Australia confirmed its dominance of world cricket by convincingly defending the World Cup against India by 125 runs at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. The tournament lasted 43 days, treating millions of cricket fans to a splendid spectacle, played all around South Africa.
Although the host country bowed out of the tournament in the first round, according to South African Tourism, the country has cause to celebrate staging a 'very successful' international event. More than 85 000 spectators are thought to have attended the games, with about 1.2 billion viewers thought to have watched the matches on television.
SA Tourism CEO Cheryl Carolus said that thousands of foreign cricket fans flocked to South Africa to watch the tournament, firmly positioning the country as a leading global sports and tourism destination. South Africa has already
benefited hugely – both economically and through the quite fantastic global awareness that has been created for SA from hosting the Cricket World Cup."
Carolus said visitors had also been extremely impressed by the warm welcome and hospitality that South Africans had shown them and that the country's high profile on the world stage would continue well beyond the World Cup. She added that with regards to India, whose team reached the final, and where South African Tourism recently launched a new value for money, holiday travel deal for families – tourism arrivals had risen considerably and were forecast to continue. An estimated 500 million Indian television viewers watched the final.
South Africa is set to build further on its "enviable and growing reputation" as a world-class destination when it hosts the World Parks Congress in September and when President Thabo Mbeki hosts a golf tournament in November.
"South African Tourism, as an integral player on Team SA,
will continue its commitment to utilise opportunities such as these to ensure the growth of the tourism sector for the benefit of all," said Carolus.
Source: Bua News
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