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- South Africa’s government confirms ongoing talks with IOC over possibility
- Cape Town previously missed out on 2004 Games to Athens
South Africa has confirmed its intention to bid for the 2036 or 2040 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The South African government has been speaking with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which is led by Zimbabwean Kirsty Coventry, on the possibility of staging the Olympics in Africa for the first time.
Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni did not specify which city would be put forward as a potential host, noting that the announcement was a “preliminary and exploratory engagement that is critical to advance South Africa’s intention to bid for the hosting rights of the Olympic and Paralympic Games”.
Cape Town previously was in the running to stage the 2004 Olympics, before losing out to Athens in the voting.
Ntshavheni claimed that South Africa would not need significant investment to improve its infrastructure, and said that the government is “confident” the country can host the Games with its current facilities.
Last year, former IOC president Thomas Bach told a media briefing during a visit to South Africa that the country “has the stability, the infrastructure and vision to stage an Olympics”. His visit came ahead of next year’s Youth Olympics, which will be staged in Africa for the first time by Senegal’s Dakar.
The 2036 Olympics has already attracted interest from around the world. India’s Ahmedabad, Qatar’s Doha, Turkey’s Istanbul and Chile’s Santiago have all previously confirmed their intention to bid for the event.
Meanwhile, London mayor Sadiq Khan has given his backing for a potential approach for the 2040 Games. German city Munich also intends to make a bid for either the 2036, 2040 or 2044 Olympic Games, with residents last month voting in support of making a proposal.
South Africa was the first nation on the continent to host soccer’s Fifa World Cup back in 2010. It is set to co-host the Cricket World Cup in 2027, which will mark its second time staging the cricket tournament. It has also hosted the Rugby World Cup in the past.
In addition, the country is making a push to host a Formula One Grand Prix from 2027 onwards, which would be the first race for the racing series in Africa.
SportsPro says…
South Africa made history in staging the Fifa World Cup in 2010, taking one of the world’s biggest sports events to the African continent for the first time. Now it wants to do the same with the Olympic Games.
Should the Olympics be awarded to South Africa, the event would certainly provide a major boon for tourism and would act as a major showcase for Africa. The most recent Olympic Games in 2024 delivered a surplus of €26.8 million for Paris, and was projected to generate as much as €11.14 billion in economic activity for the city.
However, the African country will face intense competition, with India and Qatar also both keen to take the event to regions the Olympics has previously never been to. For the IOC, it will demonstrate that its flagship event remains hugely attractive to host – and can thrive in any part of the world.