A brand-new sports magazine show Inside Sport is starting on the eNews Channel (DStv 403) this Monday, 8 August at 21:30 with presenter William Lehong as I revealed HERE on Tuesday.
Inside Sport which will have a first season of 13 episodes replaces the channel's Sports Fan that was presented by Robin Adams who left a few months ago to go and work for the Al Jazeera news channel in the Middle East.
''Sports lovers and even people casually interested in sport will love the show. We're really talking to sports personalities away from the field and viewers gain insight into their real lives,'' Inside Sport executive producer Dan Williams tells me.
''Episodes have regular features like for instance 60 second quizzes with sports stars on their careers but also unexpected questions. There's also an interactive element with viewers who will be able to send in some of the amazing 'sports' things their parents caught on videocamera,'' he says. ''Moments of sporting brilliance - or bloopers!''
''Inside Sport is a fun look at sport and somewhat different, with strong stories about sport personalities, as well as sport personalities from sports who don't get to feature so often in the limelight.'' Inside Sport will for instance profile Lucas Sithole who, when he was 10, lost both his legs and right arm in a train accident. Since then Lucas Sithole has become South Africa's top wheelchair tennis player.
Inside Sport will have a weekly look at some current sport stories taking place around South Africa and talk to amazing athletes, says Dan Williams and will reflect big sport, but will not be going to training grounds. ''Our aim is to take sports people away from that. That's what you see on the news and other shows. So many shows focus on them for a sound byte just on the training ground when they say 'We hope to win this game and it's so important'. We try to get beyond the mask of the sports people with Inside Sport. It's ultimately an entertainment sports show for people who loves sport and sports stars and want to get to know them better.''
I asked Dan Williams how difficult it was or is to get access to the sports stars who are sometimes reluctant to talk to the press - especially about their non-professional lives and who have strenous exercise and preparation regimes and diaries with little time. ''Access isn't too difficult. It's a bit of a rush once someone says yes but sports stars are surprisingly, fairly open to it. We're looking to get further behind the mask, like Oscar Pistorius on super bikes for instance. We'd like to do those kinds of shoots; paint balling with Natalie du Toit or some Springboks.''
About the presenter William Lehong who he describes as ''fun'', Dan Williams tells me they're trying to get William Lehong ''to partake in events most presenters simply wouldn't. And he does!'' ''This weekend he was riding on a bike for 66km in a game reserve. He seems very happy and haven't complained too much!'' jokes Dan Williams.
