Fauja Singh runs in Hong Kong
Photo: Reuters

Here’s a Sonny Side of Sports salute for Fauja Singh, the 101-year-old Turbaned Tornado who has stormed through the record books with his late in life running exploits. Singh announced in Hong Kong February 24 that he’s done with competitive races, but he’s not done with running.

“I will not lose confidence,” Singh said through an interpreter in his native Punjabi language. “I have been running for four to five hours every day and I will keep on doing so. This is why I am still alive. If I stop working, my life would no longer be a success and I would fail. I would lose my charm then.”

The British Indian athlete has charmed fans, competitors and organizers alike since he returned to running in his late 80s. Fauja says as a young man, he was an avid

Fauja Singh waves to fans after finishing a 10-kilometer race in Hong Kong
Photo: Reuters

runner, and he returned to the sport with renewed focus after the deaths of a son, a daughter and his wife.

Since making his marathon debut in London in 2000, the Turbaned Tornado has completed seven more marathons and broken age group records along the way. He has attributed his longevity and physical fitness to a simple vegetarian diet and abstaining from smoking and alcohol.

Singh is also believed to be the oldest person ever to complete a marathon. He finished the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 2011. While there are no more marathons for the Turbaned Tornado, he says he’ll keep running “to inspire the masses.”

Oscar Pistorius stands in the dock during a break in court proceedings Wednesday in Pretoria. He was applying for bail after being charged with shooting dead his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp. Photo: Reuters

Where there was once joy and smiles on the track, there are now bowed heads and tears in a Pretoria courtroom. The last time I blogged about Oscar Pistorius, South Africa’s “Blade Runner,” was on July 4, 2012, the Independence Day holiday in the United States.

Pistorius described that day as one of the proudest of his life, the day he was officially selected for South Africa’s Olympic team for the London Games. I followed Pistorius to London and I was at the Olympic Stadium when he made history by becoming the first double leg amputee to compete against able-bodied Olympians. He didn’t win any medals at the Olympics, but it didn’t really matter, because his presence at the Games provided plenty of inspiration.

Oscar Pistorius poses for photographers near the Tower Bridge in London in September, 2012. Photo: Reuters

After the Olympics, the 26-year-old Pistorius stayed in London and won three medals, two gold and a silver, at the Paralympics for disabled athletes. His story of overcoming adversity made him a national hero in South Africa, a country that loves its sporting heroes.

When that hero is charged with murder, though, feelings and allegiances can change. Pistorius was arrested on Valentine’s Day, February 14, and charged with the murder of his girlfriend, 29-year-old Reeva Steenkamp.

“It is very difficult to accept it because he was a role model,” said Jacqueline Pretorius, a South African who spoke with Reuters news agency outside the courtroom Wednesday. “I think about all the children who looked up to him and saw him as a role model, so it’s very difficult for me to accept this, but I hope that justice will be served in court and the wrong party will go and do his time.”

Oscar Pistorius and his late girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp pose for a picture in Johannesburg on February 7, 2013. Photo: Reuters

The killing of Steenkamp has also raised the issue of gender-based violence in South Africa. A group from the ruling political party, the African National Congress’s Women’s League, has protested outside the Pretoria courtroom, saying violence against women needs to stop in South Africa.

“It was a planned game that he did,” said Amukelani Baloyi, another South African closely watching the Pistorius case. She told Reuters, “I doubt if I want him to be out of the prison. Because usually in South Africa, we must promote a motto to embrace our women and to respect our women as far as women and children’s rights are concerned.”

As far as Oscar Pistorius is concerned, the sensational nature of his murder case guarantees that we’ll hear his name on an everyday basis as his trial unfolds. We need to hear the name of Reeva Steenkamp, too.

South African soccer fan
Photo: Reuters

Attendance at the 29th Africa Cup of Nations football tournament in South Africa has been disappointing, with many empty seats seen on the TV broadcasts, but a few fans have caught my eye with their face paint, colorful attire and joyous spirit.

South African fans and Nations Cup organizers were happy to see the home team advance to the Nations Cup quarterfinals. South Africa’s four matches drew crowds of between 40,000 – 50,000, and officials were hoping a good run by the team, nicknamed Bafana Bafana, would sell more tickets. Mali ended South Africa’s Nations Cup campaign, though, with a 3-1 victory on penalty kicks in the
quarterfinals.

Ghana fans cheer at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Photo: Reuters

Ghana’s national football team is nicknamed the Black Stars. If you look closely at the Ghanaian fans on the right, you’ll see a few black stars, including on their noses. As I write this, Ghana is looking forward to a semifinal match Wednesday against northern neighbor Burkina Faso.

Congolese football fans in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Photo: Reuters

The Leopards of the Democratic Republic of Congo drew with Ghana, 2-2, during group play, and the Congolese also had draws against Niger and Mali. Like a leopard, the male Congolese fan on the left has some spots, including on his arms and face.

You could say the DRC’s Nations Cup performance was spotty, while many feel Ivory Coast had a disappointing tournament.

This Ivorian fan was smiling before a

Ivory Coast football fan
Photo: AP

quarterfinal match against Nigeria, but probably not after his team lost, 2-1. Ivory Coast was a pre-tournament favorite to lift the trophy on February 10th.

No matter who wins the big prize on Sunday in Johannesburg, I’ve enjoyed watching the fans who bring their own special zeal and enthusiasm to the stadiums.

Alfred Baloyi
Photo: Darren Taylor

Alfred Baloyi likes to bring his own unique headwear when he goes to the stadiums. In 1979, Alfred invented what’s now an iconic symbol of South African football – the “makarapa,” or “hard hat,” adorned with all kinds of decorations.

My buddy Darren Taylor, who visited Baloyi at his makarapa factory in Johannesburg, says Alfred, like his invention, has come to epitomize the chaotic, colorful and decorative nature of African football.