South Africa

 GMU 2010 South Africa Study Abroad Course Outline
 GMU 2010 Southern Africa Class Info
 
During the apartheid era when South Africa was banned from International competition (1964 – 1992) racially segregated sport was a highly divisive issue. Along with other avenues, it was a sporting moment that helped to heal the country's racial rift. South Africa returned to the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 for the first time since it was barred 28 years earlier. In the women's 10 000 meter finals two runners dominated the field, running shoulder to shoulder, lap after lap, way ahead of the field. One was South African Elana Meyer; the other was Ethiopian Derartu Tulu. With just meters to go, Tulu found the strength to "kick" ahead of Meyer and become the first African woman to win a major Olympic title. But the big moment was to follow, when Tulu and Meyer embraced, then ran a lap of honor together, each draped in her country's national flag, a white Afrikaner and a black African together, cheered on by a huge international crowd once again provided a unique example of the power of sport.

Another proud moment in the history of South African sport happened when the South African Rugby team known as the Springboks won the Rugby World Cup on home turf in 1995, Nelson Mandela donned the No. 6 shirt of the team's captain - Francois Pienaar, a white Afrikaner - and the two embraced in a spontaneous gesture of racial reconciliation which melted hearts around the country. This moment will be brought to life "Hollywood Style" when Clint Eastwood's new movie "The Human Factor" is released in December 2009, starring Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela & Matt Damon as Francois Pienaar. It is hoped that sport can continue to be a medium to unite the country.
 
The "Big 3" sports in South Africa are rugby, cricket and soccer, but it is soccer that has won the hearts of South Africa's black majority. South Africa is by no means a giant in the world of soccer, but for many black South Africans, the country's proudest sporting moment came when it won the African Nations Cup on home turf in 1996 - having failed to even qualify for the previous cup. Soccer is intensely followed, and the quality of the local game keeps improving - as is demonstrated by the increasing number of South African players competing in the glamorous European clubs. There are now many organized clubs and leagues throughout the country and soccer is no doubt poised to improve its strangle hold on the country as it prepares to host the largest individual sporting event in the world, the FIFA 2010 World Cup.
 

You can learn more about tourism in South Africa from SouthAfrica.info:travel - The all-in-one official guide.  Find out what's happening in a country that's Alive with Possibility!
 
The Academy of International Sport (AIS) at George Mason University, Virginia is providing an unprecedented opportunity for students to experience the magic of Africa's first World Cup. The class is being led by Dr. John Nauright, Professor of Sport Management and a leading scholar of South African & global sport. He has lived in South Africa and has previously led many successful study abroad classes. For more information on this summer 2010 class please downlaod the above PDF file and contact us for additional details. The class is limited to 40 students so don't miss this fabulous opportunity to participate in what will be an amazing academic and cultural experience.