A strange sort of year looms for sport fans, but if you know where to look, there are some gems to look forward to.
For my money, the must-see event of 2017 is the British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand. With Ireland and England both on the rise, the Lions can put together a formidable squad.
They have a fiendish itinerary that includes matches against all five Super Rugby franchises, plus a date with the Maori All Blacks. It’s the fixture list from hell, but it’s also mouth-watering in that it’s a full-blooded tour that will be ripe for adventure and accomplishment. Best of all is that the Lions could have a decent shake, notwithstanding their poor history - 10 series losses in 11 tours to New Zealand.
On the home front, France arrive in June for three Test matches that could tell us a whole lot about the state of mind of the damaged Springboks. France are said to be on the up, although we should probably wait until the Six Nations given their remarkable penchant for swinging between disaster and distinction.
The Boks have never been lower in the professional era. We shall soon know if their condition is terminal.
Thanks to Wayde van Niekerk’s heroics, interest in athletics has seldom been higher. In August, he will travel to London as Olympic champion and world record holder to defend his 400m title at the World Athletics Championship. It is his major goal for the year and he is likely to arrive in excellent shape.
London will also herald the curtain call for the greatest athlete of them all, Usain Bolt. There won’t be any records from the great man, and he may even contest just the 100m, but the few seconds we are able to watch him ought to be cherished. It may be 100 years before another super-freak like him comes along.
Pickings are slim on the soccer front, but 2017 remains an important year. Next month, the Caf Youth Championship for under-20s takes place in Zambia. A top-four finish guarantees a spot in the World Cup.
In September Bafana Bafana, sans a coach for now, continue their quest to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, against Cape Verde. They have it all to do. Not only are they in a tricky group that includes Burkina Faso and Senegal, nothing less than first place in their group will do. They are lying second, but with Senegal and Burkina Faso both higher on the Fifa rankings, it will require something extraordinary from Bafana.
Can our serial under-achievers provide a good-news story for once?
Happily, the Proteas reside in a good space for now. They appear a contented, quality bunch growing more consistent and flexible with each game they play. Sri Lanka are here until the middle of next month, after which SA travel to New Zealand. It’s not the most hostile place to play, but at home the Kiwis are feisty and stroppy and never less than hard to beat.
The Proteas have a busy year with a short ODI series against England in May, leading into the ICC Champions Trophy.
It’s impolite to mention the Proteas and tournament play in the same sentence, but there’s no getting away from the bogey. Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India loom with some menace, although the experience of the England tour and its tracks will help the Proteas no end.
After that, it’s straight into a T20 series against England, ensuring the UK has had more than its fill of South Africans in the summer.
There is much else to savour. Brad Binder will try and fashion his Moto 3 world championship status into something similar in Moto 2 where the machines are bigger and badder. There’s also the swimming world championship in Budapest in July and time, surely, for some new SA heroes to emerge.
Our golfers will doubtless continue their quiet heroics, perhaps led by Branden Grace, who appears to be on the verge of crashing the big boys’ party.
After the shocks and surprises of 2016, we should prepare for much of the same in 2017. Whatever else sport may be, it won’t be dull.