South African Teams Can Fly Flag at World Cup Matches

South African sports teams, including the Springbok rugby team and Proteas cricket side - which are currently participating in World Cups - will be allowed to continue flying the national flag and singing the national anthem after the minister of sport, arts and culture, Zizi Kodwa, "pulled out all the stops".

The South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport lodged an appeal to have the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) non-compliance declaration lifted.

In response, the world agency issued a press release saying: "WADA has received formal notification from the South Africa NADO [National Anti-Doping Organisation] that it disputes the allegation of non-compliance against it, as well as the proposed consequences. WADA will shortly refer the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for its consideration. As such, the allegation of non-compliance is put on hold and the consequences will not apply until such time as CAS makes its ruling."

The Daily Maverick reported earlier that WADA had issued a statement confirming that South Africa had not updated its anti-doping code and had fallen foul of Wada's mandatory compliance requirements, for which it now faced consequences.

These consequences include not being able to participate in sporting events under the South African flag.