The TravelGround Blog

Congratulations to the South African Tourism Ministry for lending their full support to the IPL! This kind of “can do” (‘n boer maak ‘n plan) attitude is what living in the new South Africa is all about. Not only will the IPL bring business to our currently empty cricket grounds during the off-season, but it will also go a long way to instilling confidence in SA’s ability to host a successful Fifa Soccer World Cup in 2010.

There were a number of factors that swayed the choice between Britain and South Africa in our direction, but mostly it came down to the fact that SA acted as if we actually wanted the event, while Britain acted, well… British… But jokes aside, it should have been obvious that South Africa’s predictable weather, welcoming attitudes towards tourists, low production cost and affordable accommodation would sway the vote in our favour.

All South Africans should be excited to be hosting these 59 high adrenalin games, because this is a form of cricket that even the most sceptical sports fans can enjoy. Hopefully the infectious feeling as the games approach will help bring new youngsters with more diverse backgrounds into the game. After all, as the 1995 Rugby World Cup taught us, nothing has the power to unify quite like sport does. When it comes down to it, South Africa simply has to be the best country in the world, so what other choice would there be?

I’m sure you’ve all heard about the controversy around the Dalai Lama (Tibet’s spiritual leader) being banned from South Africa’s Peace Conference “because it would detract from the issues at hand“. As I’m sure you know, the meeting was supposed to be about how best to use South Africa’s hosting of the Fifa Soccer World Cup in 201o to promote peace and fight racism and xenophobia… But now all news is focused on quite how spineless South Africa has been on this historic occasion.

At least Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and former president FW de Klerk (whose signatures were on the Dalai Lama’s original invitation before it was revoked) have publicly denounced and decided to boycott the conference. Now even Nelson Mandela and the Nobel Peace Prize Committee will not be in attendance.

When 2010 comes I hope that South African leadership will show more forsight than they have this week. The potential to promote this great country of ours is simply staggering, but if the organizers and South Africans at large can’t keep their heads above water the event may become a national embarressment. Truthfully I think that in the end it is South Africans that make South Africa great, and I am proud to be amongst them. Hopefully our hospitality will speak volumes about the country.