"It is heartening to realise that Pitso Mosimane is brave enough to put the interests of the country first... We salute the time you spent to ensure South Africa prospers. Thank you Jingles"

TODAY marks the day we announce the ambassadors to fly South Africa's flag at the 2012 London Olympics.

These men and women will be wearing the national colours and singing the national anthem on the podium.

We want to wish the leadership of Team SA all the best as we begin the 50 days' countdown on Friday to the world stage at the London Olympics.

Good luck to our athletes.

Ladies and gentlemen, failure to achieve a set goal at the first attempt is not the end of the world.

The efforts you make to assess and reassess yourself, and the determination you apply to ensure your previous setback is rectified, says a lot about you as a person.

• In the past, whenever the Comrades Marathon hit the road, we were always reminded that the Russians have arrived, be scared... be very scared.

We have seen our brothers and sisters from our sister countries coming to our shores to claim the coveted prize in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.

Ain't no mountain high enough to stop the winning spirit of a South African.

Those mountainous routes connecting eThekwini and uMngungundlovu are the most difficult a person can tackle, but strategy and tactics made a fellow from a village in Limpopo by the name of Ludwick Mamabolo rise above the challenge.

He not only took three months' unpaid leave from his work, a huge sacrifice , but managed to fly the South African flag high in that competitive international event - joining an esteemed list of local winners, the likes of Bruce Fordyce, Josiah Thugwane, Gert Thys and many more .

We salute you Ludwick. You have inspired a nation. You have just registered your name in the gallery of greats that walked this earth.

We are hopeful that this is the beginning of a new journey where your name will prominently feature on the list of competitors and winners of more marathons.

We are proud of your achievement. Work on the Bruce Fordyce record!

Given your past achievements, this is achievable.

We hope our athletes, especially those who will be donning the country's colours, were motivated and inspired by your win.

The national anthem will be a prominent feature on this year's Olympic podium.

Good luck for the future.

• Ladies and gentlemen, let me also take this opportunity to congratulate another son of the soil, Ashley Makola.

Ashley has been selected to serve as an umpire in the next Senior Women's World Softball Championships to be held in Canada later this month.

We salute you for making your mark and joining other greats who keep representing the country at global events.

It is truly inspiring to see South Africans calling the shots in the international arena. This is South Africa and we set the ball rolling proudly in showcasing our God-given abilities.

From Sport and Recreation SA, we have some love for you gentlemen. We are truly blessed to have a Ludwick Mamabolo and Ashley Makola. Yes, indeed, we continue making strides as a nation.

• I have to comment, really, because my Facebook page has been inundated with calls for strategic intervention on Bafana Bafana's performance.

The leadership of football in the country has listened to your cries, they have acted in the best interests of the country.

It was also heartening to realise that former coach Pitso Mosimane is brave enough to put the interests of the country first, before anything else.

I was also impressed by the fact that Pitso contributed a portion of his income to the development of our football. We salute the time you spent to ensure South Africa prospers. Thank you Jingles.