Tag Archives: cricket

President Ramaphosa announces Restaurants to reopen for Sit-Down Service, looks after women by allowing Personal Care industry to reopen and lambasts men for gender-based violence, non-contact sports allowed!

 

In an interesting Address by President Ramaphosa this evening, almost as much time was spent lambasting men about the violence and crime perpetrated against women and children, as was curbing the spread of the Corona Virus addressed, with new industries which are to reopen announced.

Restaurants may reopen for a Sit-Down Service, Personal Care services such as hairdressers and beauty salons may reopen, ‘licensed’ accommodation excluding Air BnB may reopen, public gathering restrictions will be loosened, theatres and cinemas will reopen, casinos will reopen, conference facilities will reopen, and non-contact sports such as cricket, tennis, and golf may be played. However, no date was announced nor were the specific regulations per type of business addressed. Cigarette sales were not mentioned.  Continue reading →

Sweet Service Award goes to SA Tourism; Sour Service Award goes to WebAfrica!

 

The Sweet Service Award goes to South African Tourism, for its impactful and emotive commercials it created, aimed at future tourists to our country. It is entitled ‘Don’t Travel now. So you can travel later’.  One commercial uses Sport images and analogies to show how determined our country is in winning, not only in sports such as cricket and swimming, but also as a nation. Another shows the beauty of our country, including Bo-Kaap, flower sellers in Cape Town, Camps Bay with the backdrop of the Twelve Apostles, and Johannesburg, inviting locals to travel in our own country as soon as travel is allowed again .

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New Green Point Track adorned by Artvark urban art sculptures, links Cape Town’s past and present!

Green Point Track Whale Cottage PortfolioOn Saturday Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille officially opened the Green Point Track, a new sporting facility which is hidden on the cul de sac road that leads away from the Cape Town Stadium, across the road from McDonalds.  Given that the launch has been very low key, with barely any information to be found via Google, we requested Artvark, the creators of ten urban art sculptures made for the Green Point Track, to let us have more information about the project.  It was interesting to read the motivation for the sculptures created, linking Cape Town’s sporting and recreation past and present.

On the cards since 2009, the urban art project was deemed to be an important part of the upgrading of the Track, to commemorate its history specifically, and the sporting and cultural history of Cape Town generally.  Landscape artist Darryl Pryce-Lewis conceptualised the idea of negative and positive panels made from metal, all to be positioned in a straight line, creating a ‘visual effect to be able to look through a negative space of an individual sculpture towards the positive, the symbolism of this already touch upon the diverseness and challenges faced in our country‘, explains Artvark. Continue reading →

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