MASERU — 2010 brings with it a bumper year of sporting action.
The Lesotho Times takes a look at some of the highlights of a busy year of sport.
January 10-31: AFCON finals
The 27th edition of the biennial Africa Cup of Nations finals, takes place in Angola beginning this weekend.
The tournament sees hosts Angola joined by 15 nations who successfully advanced from the qualification process that began in October 2007 and involved 53 African national teams.
Lesotho misses-out on the competition after crashing-out in the preliminary qualifiers, which ultimately cost then coach Zavisa Milosavljevic his job last September.
May 29: Premier League finals The Premier League season will come to an end with a bumper schedule. In what could be a pivotal set of fixtures, LCS will play host to fellow title hopefuls Matlama at the Central Prison. All final games kickoff at 3pm. By 5pm, the four relegated sides will be known and of course, Lesotho’s champions.
June 11– July 11: World Cup finals
Although Lesotho will not be at this year’s showcase in South Africa, it still remains extremely important both locally and the rest of the continent as the first Fifa World Cup to be held on African soil. The tournament will — for the first time — see six African teams at the World Cup.
July 28-August 1: Africa Athletics
The 2010 African Championships in Athletics are set to be held in Nairobi, Kenya from July 28 to August 1. After the Nations Cup soccer competition, the championship has the highest attraction of African sporting superstars. Lesotho’s own stars will be vying for honours at the event.
August 14-26: Olympic Games
The very first edition of the Youth Olympic Games will be start in Singapore. The Games, taking place over 12 days, will mirror those of the 2012 London Olympics.
Oct 3-14: Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games are the second-biggest athletics event for Lesotho after the Olympics. Expect Lesotho to compete in road-running but little else. Scheduled for New Delhi, India between 3 October 3 and October 14, these are the 19th edition of the quadrennial Games.
