The 2026 Simbine Classic, the ultimate festival of speed

27 April 2026 — SuperSport will be bringing the ultimate festival of speed to screens across the continent as global stars Akani Simbine, Andre De Grasse, and a host of elite international and African talents ignite the track for the first-ever World Athletics Continental Tour Silver event held and produced in South Africa – the 2026 Simbine Classic.

The Simbine Classic will be broadcast live on SuperSport (on DStv), part of the MultiChoice Group (a CANAL+ company), and on the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) on Tuesday, 28 April 2026.

The broadcast is another step in SuperSport’s aim of ensuring Africans have access to elite sports through partnerships with free-to-air broadcasters. Recently, SuperSport partnered with Botswana (BTV) to broadcast the FNB Botswana Golden Grand Prix.

The SABC’s broadcast will be on the SABC Sport channel and the SABC Plus streaming platform from 15h00 to 18h00, and the highlights will be on SABC 2 at 22h30.

The SABC’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Nomsa Chabeli, said:

“With the SABC being the country’s only public service broadcaster, it was imperative that we become part of the ground-breaking initiative by Akani Simbine. He has served as a beacon of inspiration and hope for a multitude of people who love athletics.

The SABC’s reach to millions of South Africans will play a major role not only in creating awareness of the event but also in fostering the continued development of the sport in the country. We will utilise our SABC Sport channel on our streaming platform SABC Plus to broadcast the event and will further promote it via highlights on our terrestrial channel SABC2”.

Viewers across the continent can catch every thrilling second of the action live on SuperSport, with the Pre-Programme broadcast beginning at 11:30 (CAT) on SuperSport Variety 4, and Africa 1 (DStv channels 209 and 227).

DStv Access subscribers in South Africa will be able to view all the live action from the Simbine Classic, as will viewers on the public broadcaster, the SABC.

While South Africa has held IAAF (now World Athletics) Challenger and Bronze events in its history, this year’s Simbine Classic is the country’s first-ever Silver event, on par with the FNB Botswana Golden Grand Prix, which was broadcast on Your World of Champions.

Perennial 100m rivals Akani Simbine and Andre de Grasse will lock horns in Pretoria on 28 April when two of the world’s fastest men headline the 100m line-up at the Simbine Classic.

Akani Simbine of Team South Africa celebrates after the Men’s 4×100 Metres Relay Final during day two of the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25 on 11 May, 2025, in Guangzhou, China. (Photo by Zhizhao Wu/Getty Images for World Athletics)

Taking place at the historic Pilditch Stadium in Pretoria, the Simbine Classic marks a monumental milestone as the first World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meeting hosted on South African soil.

With a stadium capacity of over 20,000, SuperSport will deploy its world-class broadcast facilities to ensure viewers at home don’t miss a beat of the high-stakes international track and field action.

Simbine, who has the unique honour of being the director and competitor in the event, said: “I’m incredibly excited to launch the Simbine Classic. It’s very close to my heart. It’s about creating opportunities for all athletes in South Africa, inspiring the next generation, and continuing to grow the sport. I’ve been fortunate to compete at the highest level, and now I want to help build a platform where others can chase those same dreams and believe in what’s possible.”

CANAL+ Director for Sports Content in English and Portuguese-speaking Africa, Rendani Ramovha, said: “We are exceptionally proud to be the official broadcast home for the inaugural Simbine Classic,” said Ramovha.

“Bringing a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meeting to South African soil is a massive leap forward for athletics on the continent, and SuperSport will have viewers completely covered with all the action.

“Our fundamental mission is to champion African excellence, and by broadcasting this historic meet, we are giving fans front-row seats to a world-class showdown. Beyond the track meet itself, we are incredibly proud of the work that Simbine, through BackTrack Sports, has done to ensure that South Africa hosts a World Athletics event.

“We are also excited to partner with free-to-air public broadcaster, the SABC, to make sure that as many South Africans as possible get to partake in this historic milestone in South African athletics. This partnership will also ensure the growth of the sport in the country.”

Simbine, the South African record holder, three-time Olympic 100m finalist and recognised as South Africa’s greatest men’s sprinter, will face off against Canadian sprinting icon and former Olympic 200m champion, De Grasse.

However, the path to glory will be fiercely contested.

The blistering men’s 100m field features four other athletes who have dipped below the magical 10-second barrier, including African Games 100m champion Emmanuel Eseme of Cameroon, Nigerian speedster Favour Ashe, and local heavyweight contenders Shaun Maswanganyi and Retshidisitswe Mlenga.

Beyond the marquee showdowns, the meet serves a profound purpose.

Evolving from the success of the Simbine Classic Shootout, first held in 2025, this newly elevated Continental Tour Silver meeting is a crucial step up in the African athletics calendar.

The overarching vision is not only to showcase elite African talent against global competitors on home soil but to inspire and develop the next generation of track and field stars—a mission actively driven off the track by the Akani Simbine Foundation.
SuperSport Broadcast Schedule | 28 April 2026

Simbine Classic: Pre-Programme
Time: 11:30
Channels: SuperSport Variety 4 & Africa 1 (209/227)

Simbine Classic: Main Event
Time: 15:30
Channels: SuperSport Variety 4, Africa 1 (209/227)

For all your sports news and broadcast information, please visit www.SuperSport.com.

SABC Broadcast Schedule | 28 April 2026

SABC Sport Channel (15H00 to 18H00)
SABC Plus (15h00 to 18h00)

Highlights

SABC 2 (22h30)
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— Media Release, World of Champions