The country of South Africa had a serious image problem going into this year's World Cup. For years, the country had been banned from international competitions, largely due to economic sanctions because of apartheid. The 2010 World Cup presented a chance for the nation to either redeem itself or continue to look even worse than it has in the past.

Things were not looking so good for South Africa going into the games. There were complaints about potential labor unrest, and the country has always been known for being incredibly violent. In addition, the government was being criticized for not having the organizational skills to pull the event off successfully.

All doubts were erased when the World Cup turned out to be a tremendous success. Violence wasn't a problem, and the country's image in the world was restored. Riding off that momentum, the country now has big plans to make itself a major player on the world's economic and political stage -- and it just might be successful.


"The general view is that South Africa has done an excellent job in staging the World Cup. There have been far fewer, if any, issues than were expected," Michael Payne, former chief marketing officer of the International Olympic Committee, told The Wall Street Journal. "The fact that they have proved they can do this will be a very good calling card to go after other events."

The country has now announced plans to try to host the 2020 summer Olympics. President Jacob Zuma recently had a head-turning meeting with Jacques Rogge, the head of the International Olympic Committee. It's a long shot to get the Olympic games, because the most powerful countries around the world are often eager to host them. But South Africa is certainly planning to throw its hat into the ring.

The success of South Africa in this year's World Cup was not just a boon to the host nation, it was also a boon to the continent of Africa. The South African Economy is the largest and strongest in all of Africa. South Africa was also the first African country to host a World Cup. If it gets the Olympics too, it will be the first African country to host an Olympic games as well. Perhaps Africa is rising!

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Lawrence Watkins is the Founder of Great Black Speakers. He is also the owner of speakers' bureaus dedicated to Hispanic speakers and Christian motivational speakers. His book, "Frame Your Future: 8 Principles to Effectively Focus on the Future and Not Dwell in the Past", will be released in August 2010. If you would like Lawrence's articles delivered directly to your email, please click here.