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2010 has started off with more super heavy weight fights destined to take place than we have seen in many a year.

Gary Lawson v Kerry Clark of Bowls NZ
Chris Cairns v Lalit Modi of the IPL
NRL clubs v the ARL
Tiger Woods v Mrs Woods

The other two big events this year, which the whole world will have their eyes on, are the Football World Cup in South Africa and the Commonwealth Games in India.

Most will be watching the onfield/track/pool events, but many will be asking questions about other aspects of holding such enormous events in countries which, let's be honest, don’t have the greatest record for security or integrity – let alone worrying about whether the stadia will be completed in time, in the case of India.

If things go awry here, I am sure Rio will be in for a big shake up before they let the Olympic Games anywhere near it.

With the influx of supporters into the Republic, it will be interesting to see just how the South African police handle the England, Italian and Dutch fans. They are not renowned for their patience, the South African police! I know because, unlike John Minto, I’ve actually lived there

This is a much bigger event than when the Rugby World Cup was held in 1995 – South Africa was still in the euphoric state of freedom after years under the apartheid regime. But now it is different – the crime rate is one of the highest in the world and the people who were promised “the world” back in 1994 before the first election, still haven’t received their perceived share. Actually, many are worse off than they were. Balance this with a leader in Jacob Zuma who is nowhere near as loved (understatement) as Nelson Mandela was, and I think we have a recipe for disaster. I guess we will have a better idea when the first game between South Africa and Mexico kicks off on the 11^th June.

Even more so, I see India as a focal point for radicals and terrorists in the sporting arena in October. The mighty city of Delhi has 8 months to get its act together to ensure we don’t get something approaching the Keystone Cops meet Genghis Khan. With over 16 million people in the immediate vicinity of Delhi, the security better be up to speed.

Let’s just hope and pray that 2010 is remembered for all the right reasons. We have so much to look forward to.

We certainly do live in interesting times!