Sports News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 6 August 12:30 pm

Good day, let’s look at the latest sports news and scores:

# We start with rugby: Governing body SANZAAR has announced new rule changes for the Rugby Championship, including the introduction of 20-minute red cards. In certain cases, players shown a red card can be replaced by another player after 20 minutes. However, deliberate foul play with a high level of danger will be a red card and the player cannot return or be replaced. Another new rule is the countdown clock of 60 seconds for kickers to take conversions and penalties. The tournament kicks off with Australia hosting South Africa in Brisbane on Saturday.

# Olympic Games: Sweden’s Armand Duplantis set a new world and Olympic record of 6.25-metre in Paris, to become the second man to successfully defend his pole vault title. This is the ninth time he has broken the world record, beating the mark of 6.24-metre he set in the Xiamen Diamond League meeting in April. American Sam Kendricks won the silver medal, while Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis secured bronze. Duplantis says he has not processed yet what he has achieved:

South Africa’s middle-distance runner Prudence Sekgodiso finished eighth in the women’s 800-metre final in Paris. The 22-year-old, participating in her first Games, stuck with the leaders for most of the race but faded in the final 50-metre. Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson won the race. Meanwhile, Wayde van Niekerk and Shaun Maswanganyi finished third in their respective heats to qualify for the men’s 200-metre semifinals. Zakithi Nene and Lythe Pillay have both also qualified for the men’s 400-metre semifinals.

Meanwhile, the National Lotteries Commission reportedly intervened at the last minute to help Team South Africa’s participation in Paris. It gave the team for the Summer Games 28-million-rand and the Paralympics team 11.5-million-rand. Among the strict conditions are that the money only be spent on athletes, coaches and medical staff, and not on sports administrators or politicians’ travel and other expenses. Sport24 reports the grant was approved just weeks before the start of the Games because governing body Sascoc squandered previous Lottery grants.

Sascoc has meanwhile added another eight names to Team SA’s squad for the Paralympic Games in Paris, starting on the 28th of this month. Notable inclusions are double Grand Slam wheelchair tennis champion Kgothatso Montjane, and para-triathlete Kirsty Weir. The financial incentives will see gold medallists be awarded 400-thousand-rand, silver 200-thousand-rand and bronze 75-thousand-rand.  At the Tokyo Paralympics, South Africa ended with seven medals: four gold, one silver and two bronze.

Stay tuned for more news………….