South Africa: Sports Mania 2009

Well, well, well...what a start to an unbelievable sporting year for South Africans.

With the completion of a victorious cricket tour and home series against Australia, it looks like South African fans and sports lovers will get non-stop action in the months to come.

Currently, the Indian Premier League is the main source of entertainment and excitement in this lovely country. Power sixes and mouth-watering games have caught the attention of just about everyone.

Cricket superstars seen at malls and flea markets has made dreams come true for supporters countrywide. But with less than half of the tournament complete, there's still lots of action, drama, and intrigue left.

South Africa will also host the 2009 edition of the Confederations Cup, which will see giants like Brazil, Italy, and Spain come to show off their talent in June. This event will be the curtain-raiser for the FIFA World Cup that will take place during the same period next year.

After what looks to be an amazing football feast, Manchester City are said to be visiting our country in July for their season warm-up. They will face local rivals Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates in the annual Vodacom Challenge. Previous clubs that played the challenge were Manchester United (2008, 2009) and Tottenham Hotspurs (2007).

And that's not all! The British & Irish Lion will also be flying south to face the World Champions, South Africa. Rugby lovers will have their dose of action amongst the Super 14 fixtures to be played.

Later this year, the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy will be held in Johannesburg and Pretoria. The event was originally planned to take place in Pakistan, but due to security concerns, South Africa was chosen as an alternative venue. This tournament will host the top eight cricket-playing nations.

Apart from these major sporting events, the Comrades Marathon will be taking place early June, as well as the Annual Mr. Price Pro at the Durban Beachfront during the Beach Africa Festival.

So if you're a South African or reside in this lovely country, you have no excuse to stay at home or say you're bored. The nation will be honored with a newly elected president soon, and let's hope this amazing sporting year will be a peaceful one filled with never-to-forget moments.