The first athletes have already qualified for the global showpiece as the green machine begins to take shape.

At a press conference at Olympic House on Thursday, South Africa’s Olympic governing body SASCOC outlined the run-in to the Games, the Olympic Games scheduled to take place between 27 July and 12 August and Paralympics to take place between 29 August and 9 September.

And it’s a full-house of activities and updates that lies ahead for the South African Olympic fraternity.

“These are very exciting times both for us at SASCOC and the general South African sport public,” said SASCOC CEO Tubby Reddy. “A vast amount of work has gone into ensuring that the final teams chosen for South Africa at the Olympics and Paralympics represents the best of sporting talent across the nation and has been given the utmost support by us at SASCOC.

“I urge all South Africans to throw their weight behind this team and boost them as they take on the world in London.”

SASCOC High Performance General Manager Ezera Tshabangu outlined the reasoning behind team selection as well as explaining the difference between SASCOC and the various international federation and International Olympic Committee (IOC) policies.

“Currently we have 30 athletes who have already qualified for the 2012 Olympic Games,” said Tshabangu. “These come from five different sporting codes, namely women’s football, rowing, athletics, canoeing and road cycling.

“The bulk come from football (18) while rowing have six (four men, two women), athletics four (three men and one woman in the marathon), one slot in the road cycling and a women’s K1 canoeist.”

Tshabangu’s next step will be to visit London this weekend on a final reconnaissance mission ahead of the games and she will also be reviewing budgets for the remaining qualification events and training camps in the next few months.

Just last week a function to celebrate 200 days to go before the Paralympics was held aboard the British frigate HMS Montrose and was invaluable in terms of continuing the excellent relationships enjoyed between the two countries.

Already our men’s wheelchair basketball team have booked their place at the Paralympics, coach Patrick Fick’s men having won their African Qualifying event in Morocco late last year. Fellow Paralympian Oscar Pistorius has further entrenched himself as something of a Paralympics legend and recently won an award at the prestigious Laureus Awards in London.

The South African public is currently busy with the all-important task of choosing a national team mascot for all multicoded games going forward from the Olympic Games and a shortlist of the candidates is expected to be known in the near future.

Then on 29 February our Beijing Olympics silver medallist Khotso Mokoena will demonstrate the slick new identification being used for athletes and officials at this year’s Games. Known as the Leap on Leap Year, Mokoena will take the plunge and undergo his biometric testing process on the leap year date.

Other important dates will be an international women’s day high tea on 8 March at the British High Commissioner’s residence and our Paralympic contenders will be in action at the SASAPD Championships in Durban on 24-28 March as qualifying hots up.

An eagerly awaited date will be on 4 April when Team SA’s official kit for the Olympics and Paralympics will be made public.

Speaking at the update SASCOC President Gideon Sam once again urged the need for financial backing for Team South Africa. “I cannot emphasise strongly enough how much we need to keep our resources from drying up now when we need it most.

“Some of our major codes are battling financially and Swimming South Africa may need to retrench people at this crucial time. The hockey federation is also hobbling badly and this at a time when our national women’s and men’s teams are about to embark on their final qualifying bid for the Games.

“I know we rely largely on the Lotto for funding and I’m appealing to them to be more accommodating at this vital time in our sporting calendar. To this end I’m re-emphasising our support for the Sports Minister’s drive to implement the resolutions made at the Sports Indaba last year. The sooner we all read from the same book the sooner we’ll get regular funding and support across the board.”

More exciting events and occasions in the countdown to the London Olympics and Paralympics will be announced in due course.

For more details of the timeline leading up to London 2012 visit the SASCOC home page and click on 2012 Games – Latest update on the top left hand side of the site

Mbalula was addressing the SASCOC board members and the media at Olympic House in Johannesburg and responding to allegations of in-house fighting between SASCOC CEO Mr Tubby Reddy and SASCOC President Mr Gideon Sam.

‘I’m fully confident in the SASCOC leadership. We are on a journey, one that we defined and we are on track with our goals”, Mbalula said. “Yes, there’s always a concern when reports of in-house disagreement surface and such issues need to be addressed accordingly. Right now though, our focus is the London games”

Both Mbalula and Sam agreed that no issue should take precedence over athletes. “If the public wants different leaders, that’s what elections are for. The public will speak”, said Sam. “However, right now our main focus and goals have to be ensuring that we provide the necessary means and resources for our athletes for London and to make sure that we do far better than 2008 Olympics.”

Responding to questions of possible financial difficulties in the sporting fraternity Mbalula assured the public that no athlete will suffer because of finances/

“We will sit together and pool all resources and reserves to ensure our athletes are supported. We have a funding plan in motion. Government and the private sector need to come on board”, Mbalula reported while Sam agreed that National Federations’ financial difficulties should not affect their structures in place.

Mbalula also asked CEO Reddy to set up an urgent meeting with the South African Football Association (SAFA) for SASCOC and the Ministry to address SAFA jointly on various issues that need addressing with the leadership.

Regarding the Cricket South Africa (CSA) financial probe, Mbalula is waiting for Judge Nicholson’s report which will be issued at the end of February.

Known as the Blade Runner due to the fact that he runs on specially designed carbon fibre blades, Pistorius was last year the first amputee athlete to win an IAAF World Championships track medal when he was part of the South African silver-medal winning 4×400-metre relay team in Daegu, South Korea.

He ran a personal best 400m time of 45.07 sec in Italy last year to qualify for the world championships and is now bidding to be part of Team South Africa at this year’s 2012 Olympic Games in London.

“Congratulations to Oscar,” enthused Sam on Tuesday. “What a kick-off to our Olympic and Paralympic campaign!

“There’s no doubting Oscar will be one of the key weapons in our battle to win even more medals at the Paralympics. He is not only a Paralympics legend already, not only a fine ambassador for South Africa but also a role model to both athletes with disabilities as well as able-bodied athletes.”

“This is just a great privilege to be nominated, it is really humbling to be here,” an elated Pistorius said after receiving the Laureus Statuette from Spanish actress Elsa Pataky and skateboard legend Tony Hawk in the globally televised Awards Ceremony in London. “To all the Laureus Academy Members, all you guys and icons who a lot of us still competing look up to, thank you very much.”

SASCOC CEO Mr Tubby Reddy also added his congratulations for Pistorius. “Oscar is a remarkable young athlete. The impact that he has had on uplifting the image of sportsmen and women with disabilities is enormous. Coming as it does in an Olympic and Paralympic year, this honour is a huge boost for South African sport.”

Pistorius, now aged 25, was born with a congenital absence of the fibula and his legs were amputated below the knee when he was 11-months-old.

The number of teams that will take part in each event in the World Series will increase for 2012-13 from the so-called 12 “core” sides to 15, the International Rugby Board (IRB) said.

The Hong Kong Sevens, from March 23-25, will double up as a qualification tournament to determine which will be the three new teams competing in all events in the 2012-13 series.

The core teams include Australia, England, France, New Zealand and South Africa.

“As we build towards Rio 2016 and our Olympic Games debut, it is important that opportunities exist for all nations to progress to series core team status if they are good enough,” said IRB chairman Bernard Lapasset.

Measures such as state-of-the-art laboratories and a 10% increase in the number of drugs tests, compared with four years ago in Beijing, will be used to catch those attempting to cheat.

“There have been positive cases in each Olympic games since we have started testing,” Rogge told BBC Sport. “To say there will be no positive cases would be naive and misleading. I hope it’s the case, but reality tells me that there may be positive cases.”

Rogge added: “Everything that is humanly possible has been done in London to minimise doping. We hope that it will be the lowest possible number and we do everything we can to protect clean athletes.

“I think athletes are cheating because they believe that the others cheat. If they could live in the belief that the others are not cheating, they will not cheat themselves.”

The IOC president has suffered recent disappointment in the on-going fight against athletes found guilty of cheating Beijing Olympic champion LaShawn Merrit, who was found guilt of doping in 2009 and subsequently served a two-year ban from athletics, won an appeal in October against the International Olympic Committee who were attempting to block him from competing in London 2012.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled that preventing the American from competing in the Olympics went beyond the Word Anti-Doping Agency sanctions of a maximum two-year ban and in essence would have been a second punishment for a single offence.

“We are disappointed because we really wanted to have as clean as possible games,” reflected Rogge. “But you know we have created the Court of Arbitration ourselves, so we are going to respect their judgements. Not happy, but we respect the advice.”

We have a moral responsibility towards the parents and especially the mothers, because if they don’t think we will do everything to protect the health of their children they will not send them any more to sports clubs – so we have to protect the young athletes

The British Olympic Association (BOA) have their own hearing with CAS next month when their current bylaw, banning cheats like Dwain Chambers and David Millar from Olympic Games for life, will be challenged. A recent poll of British athletes suggested that around 90% wanted those who had been caught to remain banned for life.

“This is a decision by lawyers, by jury and we have to respect the law,” Rogge told the BBC. “There’s no choice. Whether we like it or not is irrelevant.

“I feel comforted by the position of the athletes, which is exactly the same as ours, but there is a respect of the rule of the law.”

Rogge was speaking at the Winter Youth Olympics in Innsbruck, also attended by BOA chief executive Andy Hunt.

Commenting on the case, Hunt feels that the BOA had a ‘good chance’ of success, although it would not be a massive blow if they failed. “We have actually stood up for clean sport,” Hunt told BBC Sport.

“I’m really proud, regardless of the outcome of what we have done in standing up for clean sport.”

The national governing body, following various allegations against the Federation’s administration, placed Power Boat South Africa under the administration of SASCOC Board member Mr Kobus Marais.

Mr Reddy said that following SASCOC’s investigation it was felt there was a need for a forensic audit.

‘An important component of the investigation into Powerboat SA is the need for a forensic audit. To this end I am happy to report that SASCOC has commissioned Deloitte to conduct such a forensic audit. Deloitte has been advised to probe the financial statements and the functioning of Powerboat SA for the last five-year period.

“They have also been advised to probe all the officials of Powerboat SA for the last five year period that maybe linked to any misappropriation or  mismanagement, if evident,’ said Reddy.

Reddy added that an interim leadership in the discipline South African Inflatable Boat Association (SAIBA) had been set up by Mr Marais and thanked Marais for also overseeing the successful staging of the Trans-Agulhas event. Mr Marais will also meet with other disciplines within Powerboat South Africa next week.

The opening ceremony of the Games will take place on July 27 and the Games will run for two weeks before ending on August 12.

Already some of our sporting codes have qualified for the Games, namely the Banyana Banyana national women’s soccer side as well as two rowing combinations (a men’s fours and women’s pairs) and a K1 canoeing slot.

The race now hots up as the various disciplines attempt to make the qualifying standards.

A total of 26 sports across the alphabetic spectrum, from archery to wrestling and broken down into a total of 39 disciplines, will be contested during the 2012 Olympic Games.

“The Olympic year of 2012 has finally dawned on us,” said SASCOC Chief Executive Officer Mr Tubby Reddy. “We have spent many hours investing in our sports stars and hopefully we will reap some of those rewards in London.

“Many of the codes are busy with their final qualifying preparations right now.”

Final date for Games qualification is May 31 but various codes have other qualification cut-offs.

Pistorius, known internationally as the Blade Runner, is arguably the most high profile Paralympian in the world and in 2011 he broke new barriers as he competed at the highest levels of non-disabled sport as well.

The Laureus World Sports Awards, which recognise sporting achievement during the calendar year for 2011, are the premier honours on the international sporting calendar.

The winners, as voted by the Laureus World Sports Academy, the ultimate sports jury, made up of 47 of the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen of all time, will be unveiled at a televised Awards Ceremony staged in London on Monday, 6 February.

A glittering collection of the world’s greatest sports stars have been nominated for the 2012 Laureus World Sports Awards, following a ballot by the world’s media, the results of which are announced on Thursday.

Proceeds from the Laureus World Sports Awards directly benefit and underpin the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which supports 89 community sports projects around the world.

Since its inception, Laureus has raised €40 million for projects which have improved the lives of more than one-and-a-half million young people.

Pistorius, 25, was born with a congenital absence of the fibula and his legs were amputated below the knee when he was 11-months-old. He runs with the aid of carbon fibre blades.

In August 2011 Pistorius became the first amputee to win a non-disabled World Championship track medal, as a member of the South African silver medal winning 4 x 400 metres relay team, in Daegu, South Korea.

With his 400 metres time of 45.07 secs in July, he had achieved the qualifying standard for the World Championships and was selected for the South Africa team.

He took part in the individual 400 metres in Daegu and reached the semi-finals before being eliminated after running a time of 46.19 secs.

In the relay, he took part in the heats, which secured his silver medal, although he was not chosen for the final.

His desire to bridge the gap between disabled and non-disabled sport became reality in Daegu. Now his goal is to compete in the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

In Paralympic sport in 2011, Pistorius suffered his first defeat in seven years when Jerome Singleton took the gold medal in a thrilling 100 metres at the IPC Athletics World Championships in New Zealand, but he did win three gold medals in the 200, 400 and 4 x 100 metres relay.

At the BT Paralympic World Cup in May, Pistorius smashed his own 400 metres Paralympic world record, recording a time of 47.28.

As a result of these achievements, Pistorius has been nominated for both the Laureus Breakthrough of the Year and the Laureus Disability Award.

In the Breakthrough category, also nominated are Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake, British runner Mo Farah, Northern Ireland golfer Rory McIlroy, who won the US Open at 22, Petra Kvitova, who won her first tennis Grand Slam at Wimbledon at just 21, and French Open champion Li Na, China’s first ever tennis Grand Slam winner.

Also on the shortlist for the Laureus Disability Award are Dutch wheelchair tennis star Esther Vergeer, who has already won two Laureus Awards and is unbeaten in singles in more than eight years, British wheelchair racer David Weir and Russian cross-country skier Irek Zaripov.

Brazil has two nominations – swimmer Daniel Dias, who won the Disability Award in 2009, and visually impaired runner Terezinha Guilhermina.

Laureus World Sports Academy Chairman Edwin Moses said: “This has been a great year for sport and the Academy are going to find it extremely difficult to decide who to vote for as winners. We have had several massive performances in 2011 both by individuals and teams and that has been reflected in the Nominations. I congratulate Oscar on his amazing achievement and all the nominees for what they have achieved and now we look forward to what should be a great awards ceremony in February in London.”

The full list of nominees for the 2012 Laureus World Sports Awards is:

Laureus World Sportsman of the Year

Usain Bolt (Jamaica) Athletics – two gold medals in World Athletics Championships in Daegu
Novak Djokovic (Serbia) Tennis – won Australian, Wimbledon and US Open Grand Slams
Cadel Evans (Australia) Cycling – winner of the Tour de France
Lionel Messi (Argentina) Football – FC Barcelona’s star player, scored 53 goals in 2010/11 season
Dirk Nowitzki (Germany) Basketball – first European to be named MVP at NBA Finals
Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Motor Racing – won second straight F1 World Championship at 24

The logistics of processing the thousands of expected athletes in terms of identification and security issues is an enormous task but thanks to advanced work in the biometric movement, entry into the London extravaganza is expected to be that much easier in 2012.

On Saturday a team from the UK Border Agency visited the Banyana Banyana team headquarters to help with their preparations for the London Olympics in 2012, undergoing the biometric process in order to facilitate easy access to the Games.

Explained Gary Benham, First Secretary, Head of Communications, at the British High Commission: “My colleagues in our excellent visa team are working with SASCOC to capture the required biometric details that will facilitate the athlete’s entry into the UK for the Games next year. Our team went to teams’ training ground to take the necessary data from all of the players and management.”

The rowers (SA have two boats qualified already) were first to be processed last week.

The process is quick and painless, taking about two minutes, and requiring a photo, a 10-finger scan and passport check.

The biometric information collected will be stored on a database in the United Kingdom and held strictly in accordance with UK legislation, including the Data Protection Act 1998. Unauthorised persons will not be able to access biometric information and it will not be used inappropriately. It may be shared with other foreign governments with the purpose of helping them and the UK Border Agency perform their functions.

On concerns about one’s biometric information being available to strangers, Benham assured us that this will not be there case. “No unauthorised persons will be able to access the biometric information and it will not be used inappropriately”,

He further explained that the data will be kept for 10 years from the date that the finger scan is taken.

The Foreign and Commonwealth office offers an exclusive service to potential Games Family Members. This free service is aimed at those Games Family Members (coaches, officials and media accredited personnel) who don’t currently hold a visa to enter the UK (but would normally need one).

“This biometric service means that we can collect your information at your convenience before you arrive in the UK, this will mean one less process when you arrive in the UK to take part in the Games,” said Benham.

Speaking at the Beyond Sport Summit in Cape Town on Tuesday, he said that the past year had been about “sharpening tools and planning”.

Sapa reports that the Minister saying that next year, those involved in sport were going to have to “walk the talk”.

“We have a plan that will assist us to align ourselves, corporate South Africa, the public sector and athletics federations,” Mbalula said. “It is exciting, but the challenge of implementation is what is going to be with us next year. We will be implementing and implementing the whole year.”

The National Sports and Recreation Draft Plan, which was distributed at the Sports Indaba in November, is expected to be endorsed by the government in March.

Sport federations are expected to provide the ministry and the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) with a detailed development plan of how talent in their codes will be identified and nurtured.

SASCOC and the sports and recreation department are to develop a clear monitoring and evaluation mechanism that will hold all federations accountable.

Mbalula has invited federations to inform the ministry about the number of players that will be included in the codes from March next year until March 2020 on an incremental basis.

One of the aspects of the plan is the reintroduction of physical education as a subject in the school syllabus.

Mbalula wants the R200 million funding for the school sports programme to come from the National Lotteries Board.

“We have worked hard to sharpen our tools and to bring content into sport,” he said. “Without a plan you can never achieve anything.”