REMARKS BY AMBASSADOR DIPUO LETSATSI-DUBA DURING THE VIEWING OF THE RUGBY WORLD CUP (RWC) FINAL ON 28 OCTOBER 2023, IN ANKARA, TÜRKİYE

Excellencies,

Colleagues,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Embassy of Republic of France in Ankara for hosting us, together with our dear friends from New Zealand and all nations present at this historic event. France has been an excellent host of the Rugby World Cup both at home and through its Diplomatic Missions all over the world.

As South Africans, we know the power of sports diplomacy – because we experienced it first-hand within our own borders at the birth of our collective national identity in 1994. In recognising the power rooted in sports Nelson Mandela said that “Sport has the power to overcome old divisions and create the bond of common aspirations”. For South Africans, sports diplomacy will always be a reminder that we are a people that chose love over hatred; and in doing so we chose an ideal world which our founding father, Tata Nelson Mandela and his compatriots dreamed of.

The South African National Rugby Team was named after our national animal, the Springbok, which represents the survival, endurance and hope of our people. As South Africans, we know how to make it in every situation, whether well fed or not.

As we watch the game tonight, may we recall the intrinsic human attributes that sports remind us of – and most importantly may we never forget to play.

I will end with another quote by Nelson Mandela; that “Sports have the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire, the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sports can create hope, where there was once only despair. It is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers. It laughs in the face of all types of discrimination. Sports is the game of lovers”.

I thank you!