The Man in the Arena
Not only was Mandela renowned for his political activities, he also had his moments in sports and inspired a lot of memorable moments for South Africans and the people world over. For South Africans, winning the 1995 Rugby World Cup final marked the emergence of the "Rainbow Nation" -- for New Zealanders, it was the day Nelson Mandela single-handedly outpsyched the mighty All Blacks.
In one of the most audacious political gambles of his career, Mandela appeared before the mostly white crowd of 62,000 wearing a Springbok jersey to shake the players' hands before kick-off
The-then All Blacks coach Laurie Mains said the entire stadium was electrified at the sight of South Africa's first black president sporting a garment that was indelibly a**ociated with the apartheid regime.
His presence alone lifted the spirits of the Boks and helped them through the tough task ahead of them...because sometimes that is all you need. His presence meant that this was no longer just a rugby match, there was more to it than that and the atmosphere around the stadium had changed. The expressions on the faces of the spectators could tell an entire story.
To their credit, the All Blacks maintained their composure to keep the scores level after 80 minutes but succumbed to a Joel Stransky drop-goal deep into extra-time. Mandela then took to the field again, this time to present the William Webb Ellis trophy to Springbok skipper Francois Pienaar.
Fast forward to 2010, Mandela appeared again onto the sporting scene for the World Cup that was hosted for the first time in Africa. Mandela described is as “A dream come true”.
On the day of the closing ceremony, the former South African president flashed his famous smile as he was driven across the pitch in a golf cart with his wife, Grace Machel. He was unable to attend the opening ceremony, but he sent a message to the world via a recorded video.
The crowd at the Soccer City stadium in Soweto welcomed Nelson Mandela with a mixture of cheers and vuvuzela blasts.
The next country to host the World Cup, Brazil, did a brilliant job to pay their tribute to the fallen legend by presenting a video tribute to honour his life and showing that his legacy will live forever.
The Athlete
He grew up an amateur boxer who admired the U.S. heavyweight champion Joe Louis. “Mandela was a heavyweight boxer himself,” said artist Harold Riley, for whom Mandela sat for a portrait, to the Manchester Evening News in Great Britain in 2008. “He boxed while on Robben Island. It helped him to keep sane and fit.”
The Icon
Mandela impacted the Olympic movement, too. He pushed Cape Town's bid for the 2004 Games, eventually given to Athens. R.I.P Madiba