Tag Archives: Chad le Clos

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 18 July

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*  Joanne Gibson has made the shortlist in the International Feature Writer of the Year category, and Michael Fridjhon in the Best Columnist category, of the Roederer International Wine Writers’ Awards.  Ms Gibson was one of the 20 or so wine writers whose entries for the Franschhoek Literary Festival Wine Writer Award were rejected as not being good enough!  (received by Tweet from Joanne Gibson)

*   Decanter has published its top 50 The Decanter Power List 2013

*   Times Media Limited, publishers of the Sunday Times and The Times, has withdrawn from the South African Press Association (SAPA),  a news sharing service, writes The Media Online.

*   SAA staff is striking today, but there has been no disruption, with only a small number of staff being absent, the airline says.

*   South Africa is on the front cover of Marie Claire world-wide, with the very noble cause of developing budding South African swimmers to get them trained up to Olympic standard by Princess Charlene of Monaco, and fitting to celebrate Mandela Day, a Marie Claire exclusive in its editions worldwide. The princess gave up attending the Dutch enthronement for the shoot in South Africa, to royal criticism.  An alternative cover features the princess with swimming stars and Olympic medal winners Ryk Neethling and Chad le Clos. Continue reading →

Cape gets AFCON 2013 cold shoulder, no tournament tourism benefit!

Today the Africa Cup of Nations draws to a close, when Nigeria takes on little known Burkina Faso of West Africa, in the final to be played this evening at 20h30, after the Closing Ceremony commences at the (temporarily AFCON renamed) National Stadium at 18h45.  While Johannesburg and Durban appear to have benefited from the African soccer tournament, Cape Town has seen no tourism bookings during or even for after the tournament.

Cape Town lost out on being a Host City for AFCON 2013, Councillor Grant Pascoe, responsible for Tourism, Events, and Marketing, appearing to have asked too many questions of the Local Organising Committee, especially about the guarantees from government.  This cost our city the opportunity to be a Host City, to see top soccer being played, and denied the tourism industry much needed income. Pascoe tried to offer Cape Town soccer fans a consolation prize of a Bafana Bafana friendly against Norway prior to the AFCON 2013 kick-off, which had no tourism benefit at all.  Pascoe also explained that the City had committed to other events at the same time as AFCON 2013, and couldn’t cancel these events.  The only event was the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, which had booked the soccer stadia in Johannesburg and Cape Town during the AFCON 2013 period. Cancelling the concerts due to AFCON would have cost R90 million.  The ‘reckless management’ of the venue for the band’s performance at the National Stadium in Johannesburg was criticised, in impacting on its pitch, but it was judged to be acceptable for today’s Final earlier this week.

The smaller venues appear to not have as done as well as those in cities.  Last night’s third place play-off between Ghana and Cape Verde in Port Elizabeth was disappointing, with many unsold seats, it was reported. Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium was sold out for all its matches in which Bafana Bafana played, as well as for the semi-final earlier this week, reported The Mercury.   Durban has proudly stated that its R60 million cost of participating as an AFCON 2013 Host City has generated benefits in excess of the expenditure, estimated at R100 million already.  Tourism benefits must have been disappointing, for Durban admitting that ‘Afcon was not on the scale of the World Cup, and we did not see thousands of foreign soccer fans fill our hotels to capacity’. AFCON 2013 has been a very localised African tournament, with little international coverage.  On Germany’s leading TV station ZDF, for example, there has not been a mention to date.

Citing its success in selling out all Bafana Bafana matches, Durban challenged the Local Organising Committee to give it opening or closing ceremonies in future.  It proclaimed itself as the ‘best Afcon 2013 host city’, and bragged that the television coverage in Africa would position Durban as a ‘leading sports and tourism destination‘, hardly a positioning Cape Town would like to see go to Durban.  Durban seized the opportunity to sign a R4,4 million deal with Eurosport, on which inserts about Durban, and its sport celebrities such as Chad le Clos, and the Sharks rugby players, were featured.

Yesterday Kfm presenter Ian Bredenkamp shared in his radio show that the Cape Town Stadium, at which the Stormers vs Boland rugby match was played yesterday afternoon, had been an ideal venue for a rugby match, compared to Newlands Stadium.

Councillor Pascoe proudly Tweeted that he is on his way to London ‘to meet with 4 Premier Division Clubs’, obviously to attract them to play at the Cape Town Stadium.  Pascoe would have been fired from his position in a corporation for his faux pas in causing Cape Town to lose out as Host City.  However, as a senior DA politician in Cape Town, he is strong enough to retain his position as Mayoral Committee Member for Tourism, Events, and Marketing, despite not having much knowledge about the portfolio he controls, and therefore he has had to call in Anton Groenewald to run the show for him!

POSTSCRIPT 10/2: SA Tourism says it is ‘happy’ with visitor numbers attracted by AFCON 2013, according to Standard Digital News. Whilst actual tourism numbers are not yet available, the expectation was that 150000 soccer fans would have attended the tournament, generating $154 million for the economy.  The tourism authority focused its soccer marketing on Kenya, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Nigeria.  Hosting AFCON 2013 cost South Africa $53,5 million.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter: @WhaleCottage

Newlands Aquatic Centre to become Cape Town’s ‘jewel in swimming’s crown’!

If the London 2012 Olympic Games proved one thing, then it is that South Africa has very fine swimmers, given the two golds that Chad le Clos and Cameron van der Burgh brought back home, as well as Le Clos’ silver medal. Now the City of Cape Town has announced its plans to transform the Newlands swimming pool into an international standard Aquatics Centre, to develop more golden swimming stars for the country.

The City of Cape Town will develop the pool in conjunction with Swimming SA, reports the Cape Argus. It is planned to make the Aquatics Centre commercial, to finance the pool’s upgrade.  The upgrade will make the pool the ‘jewel in swimming’s crown in greater Cape Town‘.  The planned upgrade will enhance Newlands’ reputation as the top sporting centre of Cape Town, the suburb already being the home of rugby and cricket.

Plans are to develop the pool, to allow swimming, diving, synchronised swimming, and water polo, to allow the development of these water sports at international level.

Due to a restriction of funds, which did not allow the South African Olympic team to travel to London ahead of the Olympic Games to train there, ex-South African Olympic 2000 swimming team member Princess Charlène of Monaco invited the team to Monaco, to practice in their pool facilities. Her pride in the team’s medal tally was even greater as a result, having given them moral support at the poolside in Monaco, and proudly supporting her team in London. She flew to Durban 10 days ago, to present funds from her Princess Charlène Foundation for the upgrade of the Pinetown pool, at which she used to train, and which is the home pool of Chad le Clos.

The Sunday Argus has reported that Cape Town and Durban are vying for the title of Aquatics Capital of the country. Durban is said to be bidding to host the Olympic Games in 2024, and its Kings Park pool is already deemed to be world class.

Once Cape Town has an international standard Aquatics Centre, international events relating to water sports can be hosted, which could become a boost for our tourism industry.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter: @WhaleCottage

Chad le Clos Sweet Service and Ster-Kinekor Cavendish Sour Service Awards!

The Sweet Service Award goes to Chad le Clos, our Olympian super swimmer at the London 2012 Olympic Games.  On his arrival back with the SA Olympic team at OR Thambo airport on Tuesday, a matric learner invited him by poster to be her matric dance date, which he accepted, subject to any travel or other commitments!  Mail & Guardian has reported her name to be Melanie Olhaus attending Glenvista High School (see the video interview with her). What an amazing young man, who has not let his success go to his head.  His father Bert is almost as famous as his son due to his spontaneous and delightful BBC interview.  Chad le Clos is a wonderful ambassador for South Africa, not only good-looking, but also a nice human being who appears unaffected by his new fame.  He deserves lots more gold and silver in the future.

The Sour Service Award goes to Ster-Kinekor in Cavendish Square, for its heavy-handed treatment of its customer Andrew for bringing a take-away cup of coffee from Seattle Coffee Company into the movie house, a beverage which Ster-Kinekor does not sell. It was too hot for him to drink immediately.  When he showed his tickets, he was told to finish his coffee immediately, but it was still too hot for him to do so.  He refused and entered the cinema.  A manager was called, and discussed the matter inside the theatre, disturbing other patrons.  He was told to leave the cinema, to which he replied that they would have to physically remove him. A security guard then entered the cinema, and asked him to leave, threatening to call the police if he did not leave.  Again he refused. No police arrived.  Andrew complained about how the movie was spoiled for himself and the other movie-goers.

The WhaleTales Sweet & Sour Service Awards are presented every Friday on the WhaleTales blog.  Nominations for the Sweet and Sour Service Awards can be sent to Chris von Ulmenstein at info@whalecottage.com.   Past winners of the Sweet and Sour Service Awards can be read on the Friday posts of this blog, and in the WhaleTales newsletters on the www.whalecottage.com website.