By David GoldFebruary 27 - India's men's hockey team will be at London 2012 after crushing France 8-1 in the final of the qualifying tournament held on home turf in New Delhi.

Africa beat hosts India 3-1 to reach the London 2012 women's hockey tournament.It was the second time

before they were forced to soak up pressure from India as they looked to get back into the game.South Africa

Africa saw out the game to make it to London."

South Africa played very well and deserved to win."

Africa claim hockey spots at London 2012 Olympics

By David GoldFebruary 26 - Great Britain Hockey has announced that the women's team will be hosting the 2012 Investec London Cup from June 5 until 10, just seven weeks before the Olympic Games.

Netherlands, the reigning Olympic champions, plus Germany and Australia.They will be joined by South

Africa and Ireland, both of whom must still qualify to reach London 2012.

We will also see the Investec South African women's hockey team take on Investec sponsored Great Britain

By David GoldFebruary 25 - British hockey star Simon Mantell (pictured) says that the team have a "massive opportunity" to pick up a medal at London 2012.

Mantell has been with the British squad in Stellenbosch, South Africa this month playing three games

game 5-3, Britain then won the second 3-1 before a 3-3 draw rounded off their tour.Britain went to South

Africa off the back of a performance at the Champions Trophy in Auckland, New Zealand, at the end of

By David GoldFebruary 23 - International Rugby Board (IRB) chairman Bernard Lapasset is the latest speaker confirmed for the International Sport Security Conference (ISSC) taking place from March 14 and 15 in Doha.

panel entitled 'Maximising The Legacy and Economic Impact of Hosting a Secure Major Sporting Event'.South

Africa 2010 World Cup chief executive Danny Jordaan will be joined by Leonard McCarthy, a vice-president

By Tom DegunFebruary 16 - Dagestan's bid to host the 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games has received a significant boost after Valentina Matviyenko (pictured), the chair of the Federation Council of Russia and the country's highest-ranked female politician, backed it.

Glasgow in Scotland.Sweden are also considering a bid from either Gothenburg, Malmö or Stockholm and South

Africa a bid from Durban.However, Russia will be quietly confident of continuing their spectacular run

Last year for me was a really positive one, especially after a tough period following the Beijing Olympic Games. After Beijing I had to take a lot of time to sort everything out, personally and physically – I moved from Swansea to Bath and really shook things up. We – my team and I – worked hard on a new programme to ensure that I was at my peak for 2012 and we really started to reap the rewards last year.

rather lose every event and win in London 2012.I've just come back from my training camp in Durban, South

Africa, which has been a tough period but fun at the same time.

Rio led almost immediately to another long period of training in Durban, South Africa.There were 24 of

  In 1991 he was appointed Argentine Ambassador to South Africa, and in 1994 became Argentina's

Minister for Sport.Another rugby playing diplomat was the South African Dawie de Villiers, also an MP

By Andrew WarshawFebruary 12 - Controversial African powerbroker Issa Hayatou (pictured) has been handed a vote of confidence to remain as President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) despite being recently reprimanded by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over corruption allegations.

President Sepp Blatter last year.Iya Mohammed, president of the Union of Football Associations for Central Africa

Under Hayatou's leadership, Africa staged the World Cup finals for the first time in South Africa in

is "incorruptible" claims former England 2018 bid adviserDecember 2011: IOC have "disrespected" Africa

By David OwenFebruary 9 - Golf participation in Europe fell in 2011 for the first time in more than two decades, according to a new report.

10 per cent juniors.Andrea Sartori, head of KPMG's golf advisory practice in Europe, Middle East and Africa

Ireland, and the lack of dynamic growth in Europe's emerging markets, specifically eastern Europe and the south-east

By Tom DegunFebruary 9 - Edmonton have revealed that they are looking to be put forward as a candidate for the 2022 Commonwealth Games after Brian MacPherson, the chief executive of Commonwealth Games Canada, revealed exclusively to insidethegames that the country is intending to bid for the prestigious competition.

Africa could be the biggest obstacle for Canada, with the Commonwealth Games Movement very keen to bring

the event to the continent for the first time ever and Africa holding more votes than any other continent.South

Africa's bid rests largely on the influential Gideon Sam, the South African Sports Confederation and

Games Federation (CGF) vice-president in November.Sam told insidethegames last year that a bid from South

Africa is a strong possibility, though discussions are still ongoing.Should a South African bid go ahead

By David GoldFebruary 8 - Australia are taking nothing for granted ahead of London 2012 despite the wheelchair basketball team's status as Beijing gold medal holders and favourites.

decided.Australia have a tough draw at London 2012, being pooled with the United States, Italy, Spain, Turkey and South

Africa last month.The other pool pit hosts Britain with Canada, Germany, Colombia, Poland and Japan.Contact

By Tom DegunFebruary 8 - The International Rugby Board (IRB) has unveiled a major new qualification pathway for the HSBC Sevens World Series as the sport looks to expand its global reach ahead of Rio 2016, when the rugby reappears at Olympic Games for the first time since Paris in 1924.

status alongside Argentina, Australia, England, Fiji, France, Kenya, New Zealand, Samoa, Scotland, South

Africa, United States and Wales.The qualifying showpiece in the Hong Kong Stadium, which takes place

for London 2012 with victory in the K1 race at the African Canoe Slalom Championships in Bethlehem, South

Africa.

was third.There was disappointment for the home canoeists as Donovan Wewege was the highest finishing South

place at the Olympic Games.Debra Merembe of Uganda was second with Kenya's Grace Maina in third, as Africa

Championships, from February 24 until 26.Along with the qualifiers an ICF Talent Identification Programme for Africa

League what they are capable of, and will surely prove a handful.The favourites for the title come from South

South Africa and Cameroon will represent the African continent, whilst Sweden and France will also be

Unlike the World Cup, it can be won by a nation outside of South America or Europe, as the USA, Nigeria

operated, and are currently operating, integrated training camps alongside the Olympic programme in Italy, South

Africa and the United States.I've just returned from the South Africa camp and it's been great to see