By Tom Degun in DohaApril 30 – International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge officially opened the 9th World Conference on Sport and the Environment here tonight at a special ceremony.

year, 43 candidatures were submitted with one winner selected for each of the five continents.From Africa

, the award went to 2010 FIFA World Cup Host City Cape Town and from the Americas it was given to South

By Tom Degun in DohaApril 30 - Munich 2018 chair Katarina Witt (pictured) and chief executive Bernhard Schwank have arrived at the prestigious 9th World Conference on Sport and the Environment here in order to promote, what they claim, is their own ground-breaking environmental concept.

the vital technical presentation to the IOC in Lausanne on May 18 shortly before heading to Durban in South

Africa for the final vote on July 6.Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]

By Tom DegunApril 26 - Oscar Pistorius, the four-time Paralympic gold medallist, has targeted the A-qualification standard for the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) 2011 World Athletics Championships in Daegu in Korea in the 400 metres after recently smashing his personal best.

B-qualification standard for the World Championships after he ran a personal best of 45.61sec in Rustenburg in South

Africa last month.But compatriot Louis van Zyl then ran 44.86 at the Germiston Stadium in

athletics programme for 2012March 2011: Pistorius secures qualifying time for London 2012 Olympics in South

By David GoldApril 26 - The South African Rugby Union (SARU) has announced that Port Elizabeth is to

be the new host of the South African leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series.

on the Gold Coast in Australia.Port Elizabeth will replace George, which had previously hosted the South

Today's announcement represents an exciting new chapter in South Africa's long-standing commitment to

behalf of the global rugby family I would like to thank the city and the people of George for hosting South

Africa Sevens for the next four years."

The Leopards, Pumas, South Western Districts and Western Province had also bid to join the Series.Cheeky

By Duncan MackayApril 21 - Durban has promised to "roll out the red carpet" when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) visits the city later this year to hold its Session in the hope of boosting its own bid.

Durban is the favourite to be put forward by South Africa to bid for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics

Durban faces competition from Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth to be chosen to bid by the South African

Africa is attaching to the IOC Session is illustrated by the fact that President Jacob Zuma has put

Africa must decide on candidate for 2020 Olympics says Sports MinisterJanuary 2011: IOC announce timetable

for 2020 Olympic bidsDecember 2010: Rogge tells South Africa it is now in "top league" of organisersSeptember

April 16 - Britiain's hree-time World Ironman champion Chrissie Wellington took Ironman South Africa

Wellington put on yet another impressive record-breaking performance by shattering the Ironman South

Africa bike, run and course records, to finish in a time of 8 hours 33min 56sec.In bettering the previous

In wiping out Natasha Badmann's Ironman South Africa bike course record of 4:45:23, Wellington managed

the wonderful town of Stellenbosch near Cape Town I have had the opportunity to experience the rich South

small steps in my journey, I believe my desired ambition can be achieved.I have just left for South

Africa for two of the biggest tournaments on my calendar this year.First I will play in the South

By David GoldApril 13 - Giant killers Tanzania will have to repeat their stunning heroics against Cameroon in the last round of African qualifiers for the 2012 Olympic football tournament if they are to keep their hopes alive of playing in London next year, after being drawn against Nigeria.

·World Cup 2010 qualifier Algeria will face Zambia in another intriguing tussle, whilst South Africa

By David GoldApril 11 - Sydney 2000 Olympic gold medalists Cameroon will not be competing at London 2012 after crashing out of the African Confederation's first round of preliminary qualifiers.

absent from London 2012 after Argentina, the 2004 and 2008 gold medallists, were knocked-out in the South

the success they have enjoyed in recent years.Having reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup in South

Africa last year, where they lost on penalties to Uruguay in controversial circumstances, they also

, brushed aside the challenge of Burkino Faso 5-2.Benin, Congo, Gabon, Mali, Morocco, Senegal, South

Africa and Zambia have also qualified for the next round of qualifiers.Due to the violence which engulfed

By Tom Degun At SportAccord in LondonApril 7 - Government regulations on advertising and trading at the London 2012 Games could see marketers fall foul of legislation and criminalised for standard business practice according to a new paper launched today by The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM).

sponsors' vast investment in the event.Similar rulings were introduced in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South

Africa, where controversy was caused by a group of female Holland fans wearing identical orange miniskirts

By Tom Degun at SportAccord in LondonApril 6 - Charles Beigbeder, leader of the Annecy Bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, is confident that French President Nicolas Sarkozy will provide some much-needed heavyweight political punch to their campaign to host the Games ahead of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) vote in Durban on July 6.

Grospiron stepped down citing a lack of financial support, is confident Sarkozy will follow suit in South

Africa to help the underdogs topple their two 2018 bid rivals, Munich and Pyeongchang."

give presentations tomorrow, as well as lobbying hard with only three months left until the vote in South

April 3 - New Zealand's all-conquering sevens rugby team had double cause for celebration after a historic win in Adelaide also boosted their chances of regaining the HSBC World Sevens Series.

A peerless display over two days at the Adelaide Oval culminated in a tense 28-20 win over South Africa

three years ago.New Zealand had never won across the Tasman since the tournament was established in South

over England and benefited before the final kicked off after their closest rivals were eliminated by South

Africa in the second semifinal.New Zealand had not lost to South Africa - twice winners in Adelaide

South Africa were very quick and dangerous."

By Duncan Mackay in Paris March 24 - Sepp Blatter has claimed that he needs four more years as FIFA President to finish his "mission", which involves using football as a force for good in society and helping develop the sport in the less wealthy countries around the world.

it is ambitious and one that he has been preaching around the world, including on a recent trip to South

This is what we are doing with the Centres of Hope in Africa where we have football alongside school

By Tom DegunMarch 23 - South African Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius has achieved the B qualification

Blade Runner", stormed to victory on the incredibly fast Olympia Park Stadium track and if selected by South

Africa, Pistorius will become the first amputee sprinter to compete at the Olympics."

Should Pistorius compete at the London 2012 Olympics, he will follow South African compatriot Natalie

By Tom DegunMarch 22 - South African star Oscar Pistorius (pictured) has set his sights on four gold

medals at this year's Nedbank National Championships for Physically Disabled in Rustenburg, South Africa

country's most significant elite multi-sport disability event from March 26-30.Several other members of the South

from the World Championships in New Zealand somewhat disappointed as despite claiming three of the South