An ardent sports fan who will be sorely missed

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu was not only passionate about his opposition to global injustices, but was also an ardent sports fan. He understood the unifying power of sport, especially in a country such as ours where there are still deep divisions in society, mainly based on race and economics.

It was not unusual to see the Arch at cricket and rugby games at Newlands in Cape Town, especially those featuring the national teams and when I interviewed him on his 80th birthday in 2011, he let slip that he supports English premiership team, Arsenal.

Arsenal was not doing too well at that time and, when asked about their performance, he just shook his head. I regret that I omitted to ask him which local soccer team he supported.

It was no wonder therefore when the SA national cricket team, the Proteas, began their first Test match against India in Centurion on Monday, hours after his death was announced by the presidency, they wore black armbands in his honour and both teams observed a minute of silence.

Cricket SA (CSA) was one of the first sports federations to pay tribute to the late Archbishop.

In a statement, it said that Tutu has made “an indelible contribution in the struggle against the unjust and criminal system of apartheid” and that the sport had benefited from his efforts “as he ushered in a new era of unity, embodying God's rainbow people”.

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His death, it said, was “a very painful loss to CSA as his activism and teachings helped in transforming the sport of cricket”. It described him as “an avid cricket fan, and yet another of the great sons and daughters of our soil that we have lost this year”.

In an interview this week, Tutu’s successor at Bishopscourt, the home of the archbishop of Cape Town, Archbishop Emeritus Njongonkulu Ndungane, said they both loved sport, especially cricket and rugby.

“In fact, Lawson Naidoo, the chairperson of CSA, had invited both Desmond and me to attend the new year Test against India at Newlands and Desmond had accepted despite his illness. Sadly, Desmond will only be able to be there in spirit.”

Ndungane said Tutu supported all the national teams, but was very guarded about which teams he supported locally in all codes.

The Arch realised the strong unifying power of sport and was on occasion seen wearing a Springbok rugby jersey. In our interview, he spoke about the patriotism which was inspired by SA hosting the 2010 Soccer World Cup and the country's participation in the Rugby World Cup in 2011.

“For all of us, what we have become as a nation was demonstrated in the soccer and rugby world cups. If you had predicted in my presence that SA could be so patriotic, I would have told you to go see your psychiatrist,” he said.

A few months before the Arch's 80th birthday, the Springboks were  given a huge send-off at the airport on their way to the World Cup tournament in New Zealand.

“I mean, where else have you heard of a sports team being given a [such a] send-off?” the Arch asked. “I can’t think that I have ever come across something like that. Yes, teams are welcomed back when they have won the trophy, but here 65,000 people come to say goodbye to the team and I can bet you that many of those in the crowd would not have known the difference between a try and scrum and yet they were there. We really do have an incredible spirit.

“The pride that we have now in the Springboks is quite incredible when you think that, only a few years ago, almost all black people supported the team opposing the SA team,” he said.

In his tribute this week, SA Rugby president, Mark Alexander, said: “We have lost another giant and our country is immensely the poorer for it.”

He said Tutu was a “much-loved and admired campaigner on numerous causes throughout his life – most notably in the struggle against apartheid – who went on to become a powerful voice for reconciliation in post-apartheid SA.

“Archbishop Tutu stood for all that was the best of us as a nation and his fearless freedom fighting was an example to all of us to oppose injustice wherever it occurs – he was our moral compass and always pointed in the principled direction.

“He was a strong supporter of rugby in SA, and I remember very well the pleasure he took from meeting the Springboks on their Rugby World Cup trophy tour in Cape Town in 2019 and how humbled were our players to be greeted by him.

“But he also took our sport to task over the years for our failures and our hesitancies – and we always listened. The example he set and the principles he stood for will be sorely missed.”

In the mid-1990s, when Cape Town was bidding to be the Olympic host city in 2004, Tutu was one of the leaders of the campaign. The city was eventually narrowly beaten by Athens.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) also paid tribute to Tutu this week.  IOC president, Thomas Bach, described Tutu as “a passionate lover of sports” who understood sport’s contribution to peace.

“I got to know Desmond Tutu in 1996 as passionate lover of the Olympic Games and sports. He always emphasised the power of sports to bring people together. In all the meetings I had with him he was always appreciating the great contribution of the Olympic Games to peace and understanding. It was his fervent wish that he could still see the Olympic Games being celebrated in his beloved South Africa,” Bach said.

“He was a firm believer in the Olympic values and a man full of humanity, humility and with a wonderful sense of humour, which made every conversation with him not only inspiring but also pleasant and unforgettable.”