Maclean's magazine unveils its World Cup 2010 special

Nothing in sports means more than this tournament. Also in the issue hitting newsstands today: Parliamentarians of the Year; and Mexico's expanding drug war

TORONTO, June 4 /CNW/ - As the world prepares for the most thrilling sporting event that unites it, Maclean's magazine unveils its World Cup 2010 special. All world cups, by their nature, are momentous. But this one is also a vessel for some rather lofty ambitions: It's a sort of global debutantes' ball for both the host country, South Africa, and for the entire continent. Success off the field, of course, heavily depends on the outcome of the tournament itself.

Over the next month, 32 teams from around the world will play a total of 64 matches in 10 venues across South Africa. Six teams from Africa are competing, including Bafana Bafana (the Boys), national team of the host country, which has proclaimed itself ready to welcome the world-and perhaps beat them.

    
    Highlights from the issue include:

    -   Welcome to Soccer Town: The best place in the world to watch the
        World Cup
    -   A League of Their Own: The favourite teams and stars to watch
    -   The Messi-ah: Could Lionel Messi be the best ever?
    -   Aiming High: Nike's latest ad is part of the company's efforts to
        beat Adidas at Soccer
    

Almost half the planet watched the last World Cup final in Berlin in 2006, the first time three billion humans have ever done anything simultaneously. This summer's viewership for the quadrennial tournament's first visit to Africa is predicted to reach levels of epic proportions.

PLUS in this weeks Maclean's, on newsstands June 7:

MEXICO'S DRUG WAR IS COMING OUR WAY

The Department of Justice has declared Mexican drug cartels to be "the greatest organized crime threat to the United States," and Canada may be next.

PARLIAMENTARIANS OF THE YEAR Maclean's magazine celebrated the fourth annual Parliamentarians of the Year on Parliament Hill in Ottawa yesterday. Attended by members of Parliament, some of the country's most prominent journalists and other Canadians of note, the event honoured Canada's top MPs, as voted by their peers in the House of Commons.

Maclean's 2010 Parliamentarians of the Year winners:

    
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    Award            Winner      Riding        Runner-Up        Riding
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Parliamentarian  John Baird  Ottawa West-  Gilles Duceppe   Laurier-
    of the Year      (CP)        Nepean        (BQ)             Sainte-Marie
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Hardest Working  Ted Menzies Macleod       Paul Szabo       Mississauga
                     (CP)        (Alta.)       (LIB)            South
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Best Orators     Bob Rae     Toronto       Gilles Duceppe   Laurier-
                     (LIB)       Centre        (BQ)             Sainte-Marie
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Most Collegial   Peter       Sackville-    Rodger Cuzner    Cape Breton-
                     Stoffer     Eastern       (LIB)            Canso
                     (NDP)       Shore
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Most             Gilles      Laurier-      John Baird (CP)  Ottawa
    Knowledgeable    Duceppe     Sainte-                        West-Nepean
                     (BQ)        Marie
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Best represents  Robert      Chicoutimi-Le Mauril          Ottawa-Vanier
    Constituents     Bouchard    Fjord         Belanger (LIB)
                     (BQ)
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Rising Star      Kelly Block Saskatoon-    Carole Freeman   Chateauguay -
                     (CP)        Rosetown-     (BQ)             Saint-
                                 Biggar                         Constant
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    

About Maclean's

Maclean's is Canada's only national weekly current affairs magazine. Maclean's enlightens, engages and entertains 2.8-million readers with strong investigative reporting and exclusive stories from leading journalists in the fields of international affairs, social issues, national politics, business and culture. Visit www.macleans.ca.

For further information: Louise Leger, [phone], [email protected]