On Mandela Day, we remember that the 1995 Rugby World Cup was more than just a rugby tournament.
Morné du Plessis and Sean Fitzpatrick look back at the moment that united a nation.
A year after South Africa's first multiracial democratic election in 1994, the country hosted the Rugby World Cup, traditionally an Afrikaner sport that saw black people cheering for the opposition. But Mandela understood the importance of surprise and the grand gesture. He resisted pressure to scrap the springbok, the team's despised emblem, and rallied the nation around the players.
For the final there were 63,000 people in the stadium and 62,000 were white. Mandela appeared in the green-and-gold Springbok jersey and cap to chants of 'Nelson, Nelson, Nelson' from the crowd.
Nelson Mandela was the first Patron of Laureus. At the inaugural Laureus World Sports Awards in 2000, President Mandela said:
“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers. It laughs in the face of all types of discrimination.”
This has become the philosophy of Laureus Sport for Good and the driving force behind its work.
Subscribe to Laureus' official YouTube channel ➡️ [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram:[ Ссылка ]
Website: [ Ссылка ]
