March 6 - England stormed into the semi-finals of the hockey World Cup after 24 years with a 3-2 win over hosts India in New Delhi although it was closer than it should have been at the end.

Spain are lying third in the group with six points, while India, Pakistan and South Africa have three

Africa.

" South Africa, whose three previous defeats in the tournament included a record 12-0 drubbing

Rehan Butt's first-half goal for Pakistan mattered little as the South Africans pumped in four goals

" South African captain Austin Smith was understandably elated.

Yes, there’s the small matter of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, which is sure to

By Duncan Mackay March 5 - Britain's Callum Priestley (pictured), a 21-year-old considered one of the country's most promising young hurdlers, has tested positive for a banned performance-enhancing drug and faces missing the London 2012 Olympics, it was announced today.

today that clenbuterol, a stimulant used in asthma treatment, was found in his sample after a test in South

Africa in January and he was provisionally suspended under IAAF (International Association of Athletics

February 28 - England opened their hockey World Cup campaign with a stunning 3-2 win over tournament favourites Australia in New Delhi today.

" Elsewhere in Pool B, Spain beat South Africa 4-2 in the opening game of the tournament.

example of the power of sport as it portrays the true story of how Nelson Mandela, as President of South

Africa, used the 1995 Rugby World Cup to unite the country in the wake of apartheid. 1995 was the

has provided, I am sure that, when in little over four months from now many of us hacks reassemble in South

Africa for the first World Cup in that continent, the images both on and off the field will be more

There will be many a day when the winter in South Africa will prove a whole lot colder than the amazingly

Dick Pound threw his toys out of the pram and another contestant Un Yong Kim was jailed in his native South

bush fires to retain his Presidency, most notably in 2002 when the Europeans allied themselves with Africa

Vast expanses of the globe – South America, Africa, India and southern Asia – are so far

February 21 - Britain’s top wheelchair racers David Weir (pictured) and Shelly Woods will be seeking revenge at the Virgin London Marathon on April 25 where two of the best ever wheelchair marathon fields are set to battle for the coveted title.

only threat, however, for the race includes the fastest marathon racer of all time, Ernst van Dyk of South

Africa, who will be aiming for an incredible ninth Boston Marathon title just six days before

field, including the swift Swiss Marcel Hug, who has one of the fastest times ever, Krige Schabort of South

Africa, second in New York last year, the Japanese pair Kota Hokinoue and Masazumi Soejima, and Joshua

Africa’s Monique van der Vorst, confirms the quality of this high-class field.

By Duncan Mackay February 18 - Michael Phelps (pictured), the most successful athlete in Olympic history, has clinched his first new multi-million dollar endorsement deal since the British tabloid News of the World photographed him taking drugs more than a year ago.

Zamora, who is on the verge of earning a call-up to England's squad for the FIFA World Cup in South

Africa later this year.

February 12 - United States coach Al Caravelli has included two fomrer NFL players in his squad for the International Rugby Board (IRB) World Seven Series in Las Vegas this weekend, including Bennie Brazell (pictured).

last year, representing the US in the opening events of the IRB World Seven Series in Dubai and South

Africa.

February 9 - Caster Semenya (pictured), South Africa's controversial world 800 metres champion, has avoided

A row broke out last month after Gideon Sam, the President of the South African Sports Confederation

LeBoeuf, hitting back with a statement claiming that Semenya should not be prevented from taking part in South

Ray Mali, the interim President of Athletics South Africa (ASA), said: "Caster is not going

By Duncan Mackay in London February 4 - Archbishop Desmond Tutu tonight predicted that London hosting the Olympics and Paralympics in 2012 will "leave the world a fantastic legacy".

Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his role as a unifying leader figure in the campaign to end apartheid in South

Africa , was in London to take part in the inaugural London 2012 Diversity and Inclusion speaker series

  “As a South African, I know how much sport can help bring different people and nations

By Duncan Mackay February 1 - Angola's Leonel da Rocha (pictured) has been elected as the new President of the African Sports Confederation of Disabled (ASCOD) at its General Assembly in Cairo.

Rocha has established himself as a leading businessman having started out shining the shoes of South

has helped transform Nile-Dutch (NDS)  from a company with one ship into one of the biggest in Africa

also include Cape Verde's Jose Rodrigo as secretary general and Khaled, Morocco's Elouni Hamid and South

January 28 - Planning for rugby sevens' debut at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro has started in earnest as the International Rugby Board (IRB) President Bernard Lapasset (pictured here with Jacques Rogge) and his team travelled to Lausanne for meetings with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF).

Maxwell December 2009: Olympics will make rugby sevens bigger than 15's predicts Kirwan November 2009: South

Africa and England excited by start of new era for rugby sevens November 2009: Olympics will make it

January 25 - The Rugby Football Union (RFU) has started to develop a long term strategy for rugby sevens in England at all levels by hosting a pivotal planning forum for over 70 key stakeholders in the game, looking ahead to the inclusion of the sport in the Olympics from 2016.

MaxwellDecember 2009: Olympics will make rugby sevens bigger than 15's predicts KirwanNovember 2009: South

Africa and England excited by start of new era for rugby sevensNovember 2009: Olympics will make it