By Mike RowbottomMay 31 - Usain Bolt (pictured left) produced the stand-out performance of the Samsung Diamond League meeting in Rome as he won the 100 metres in 9.76sec – the same time he ran at the end of last season in Brussels to head the world's 2011 rankings.

title tied up, moving from fifth to top position with an effort of 65.54m in the fifth round.However, South

800m – which included two former world champions in Janeth Jepkosgei and Caster Semenya from Kenya and South

Africa respectively, and Russia's current world champion Mariya Savinova and current Olympic champion

attempt, produced a long jump of 8.32m to win ahead of Olympic silver medallist Godfrey Mokoena, of South

By David GoldMay 30 - Stephane Houdet was the star, thrashing world number-one Maikel Scheffers, as France's wheelchair tennis team shocked top seeds the Netherlands in the World Group final of the BNP Paribas World Team Cup in Seoul.

Britain 2-0 to take the quad title.Elsewhere, Thailand also had reason to celebrate with a 2-0 win over South

Africa to gain promotion to the World Group for 2013.South Africa will also compete in the World Group

reckoning at around a third of one US cent a head.And then there are the likes of Brazil, Mexico, China, South

Korea, South Africa – fast-developing countries with relatively large (in some cases very large) populations

might expect at around 60 cents (38 GB pence/48 € cents) per potential viewer.So, arguably, is South

Africa at 25-30 cents (15-20 GB pence/20-25 € cents).But 2016 Olympic host Brazil (23 cents [14

value from their Chinese properties.But if you consider that hiking Chinese per capita rights fees to South

By David GoldMay 20 - Britain's Lesley Paterson and Conrad Stoltz of South Africa have been crowned champions

Melanie McQuaid of Canada had led as the women went into the water, although it was not long until South

with Evans continuing to chase, and although the American narrowed the gap, he could not push past the South

By Tom DegunMay 20 - Jason Smyth (pictured), Ireland's double Paralympic sprint champion, looks to be closing in on his dream of competing at the Olympic Games after he clocked a time of 10.24sec in Florida, just 0.06 outside the 100m Olympic A standard, in his first race of the season.

venue on June 2.He shares a similar ambition to fellow Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius of South

Africa, the double leg amputee, who is also looking to compete at both this year's Olympic and Paralymic

must better the 45.30 mark one more time at an international meet to be eligible for selection for the South

selection for IAAF World ChampionshipsJuly 2011: Pistorius has high hopes for Ireland's Smyth in South

some of America's top Paralympians, including Jerome Singleton, the man who handed Oscar Pistorius of South

Africa his first defeat in Paralympic sport for seven years at the World Championships last year."

has claimed that he is unconcerned with the media hype surrounding his great rival Oscar Pistorius of South

Africa and said that the winner of their much anticipated clash at the London 2012 Paralympics will

sport for seven years.It was sweet revenge for Singleton after the 25-year-old single leg amputee from South

Paralympics.Pistorius' profile has dramatically risen since their last race in Christchurch after the South

able-bodied World Athletics Championships at Daegu, reaching the 400m semi-finals and running as part of the South

South Africa is the size of Texas but America is huge so obviously it is harder to make the Olympic team

By Tom DegunThe fascinating story of America's LaShawn Merritt, the Beijing 2008 Olympic 400 metres champion that dramatically fell from grace after testing positive for drugs, has been told many times and in many different ways.To quickly summarise, the outrageously talented sprinter from Virginia dominated almost every competition at junior level, including the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) 2004 World Junior Championships, where he won three gold medals and set two junior world records in the relays.Unlike many others, Merritt was able to translate his promising junior career into success at senior level and he truly announced himself on...

Merritt also admits some concerns over unlikely medal contender Oscar Pistorius (pictured below, left) of South

Africa.

By Tom DegunMay 9 - A total of 48 boxers from Africa have booked their spots at the London 2012 Olympics

Olympic places each and Tunisia taking three berths at the ExCeL.Gabon, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria and South

Africa each booked two spots for the boxing competition at London 2012 while Benin, Botswana, Burkina

spot.Morocco's Aboubakr Seddik Lbida, Ghana's Isaac Zion Kojo Dogboe, Gabon's Braexir Romeo Lemboumba, South

Mehdi Khalsi from Morocco, Mohamed Diaby from Mali, Ilyas Abbadi from Algeria, Siphiwe Lusizi from South

Africa, Selemani Salum Kidunda from Tanzania and Yannick Audrey Mbemy from Gabon will go to the Olympics.At

By David GoldMay 7 - South Africa has completed the line-up for the London 2012 Olympic men's hockey

South Africa (pictured above) will now appear at the Games for the third time in a row, denying Japan

Springboks join Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Britain, Germany, India, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, South

Africa on the counterattack soon afterwards to give his team vital breathing space.Although Kenji Kitazato

We will get better, we came through strong – the character in this team is strong," said South Africa

Africa, South Korea and the United States had already sealed their places for the Games.Japan will be

By David GoldMay 3 - The wheelchair basketball tournament at London 2012 will tip off on August 30 when the United States and Turkey men's teams square up in the Basketball Arena in the Olympic Park, after the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) announced the fixture list.

In the men's tournament, reigning champions Australia, Spain, US, Italy, Turkey and South Africa contest

men's action also features Japan versus Canada and Colombia against Poland before Australia takes on South

Africa, all at the Basketball Arena.Women's Beijing 2008 bronze medallists Australia faces Brazil, also

Nation programme and the forthcoming Investec London Cup featuring GB, Netherlands, Germany, Australia, South

Africa and Ireland at www.greatbritainhockey.co.uk.Sally Munday is the chief executive of Great Britain

He now lives and works in South Africa, where he runs Brooks Sport and Leisure, a successful consultancy

By David GoldApril 28 - Brazilian sprint star Terezinha Guilhermina (pictured top right) continued her build up to London 2012 with a stunning 200 metres race at the Abierto Mexicano Athletics competition in Mexico City, where she shattered the world record with a time of 24.67sec.

200m with times of 11.55 and 23.69 respectively.Meanwhile, a Brazilian swimming star making waves in Africa

was Daniel Dias, claiming three gold medals in the South Africa National Aquatic Championships in Durban.The

By David GoldApril 27 - Following this week's draw for the London 2012 Olympic Games football tournament, Brazil and the United States (pictured left) are favourites with the bookmakers for the men's and women's gold medals.

New Zealand and Belarus in Group C of the men's draw.With a strong squad likely to be selected, the South

Japan, Morocco and Honduras in Group D, whilst Group B pits North American champions Mexico against South

against the hosts, Britain, New Zealand and Cameroon in Group E, whilst Japan face Sweden, Canada and South

Africa in Group F.France and Sweden both enjoyed an excellent World Cup last year, reaching the semi