Sport in Italy Sport in Italy Sport in Italy has a long tradition. In several sports, both individual and team, Italy has good representation and many successes. Football is the most popular sport in Italy. Italy won the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and is (along with Germany) currently the second most successful football team in World Cup history, after Brazil, having won four FIFA World Cup championships. Basketball, volleyball, and cycling are the next most popular/played sports, with Italy having a rich tradition in all three. Italy also has strong traditions in swimming, water polo, rugby union, tennis, athletics, fencing and Formula One.
Sport in South Africa boxing, hockey, tennis, golf, surfing, netball, running and also obstacle course racing. South Africa was absent from international sport for most of the apartheid era due to sanctions, but started competing globally after the end of apartheid. South Africa hosts the Saddle Seat World Cup every four years, which includes the American Saddlebred, Morgan horse, and South African Boerperd horse breeds. It is the highest level of competition for Saddle seat Equitation riders. South Africa was banned from the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo due to the apartheid policies. Some sports teams toured South Africa as "Rebel Tours" and played