By Sohaib Shams
South Africa has selected Durban as its preferred host city for a potential bid to stage the 2036 or 2040 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, aiming to bring the Olympics to Africa for the first time.
Multi-city bid likely
South African Olympic committee acting president Lwandile Simelane confirmed on Thursday that Durban, the country's third-largest city, will serve as the primary candidate. She added that the proposal will probably take the form of a "multi-city bid", with certain events staged in other locations. Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa's financial centre, were also under consideration.
Previous Olympic aspirations
Durban, home to roughly four million residents on the subtropical Indian Ocean coastline, was previously highlighted as a potential Olympic venue after South Africa hosted the 2010 World Cup. An official application did not materialise at the time, largely due to cost concerns. The city was also stripped of hosting the 2022 Commonwealth Games after failing to provide required financial guarantees. Officials said they cannot yet provide cost estimates for an Olympic bid, which would centre on the 56,000-capacity Moses Mabhida Stadium built for the 2010 World Cup.
Competition and timeline
South Africa is among seven nations competing for the 2036 Games, alongside India, Qatar, South Korea, Germany, Hungary and Turkey. The International Olympic Committee's deadline for national Olympic committees to formally declare interest was 31 October. Candidate nations will make virtual presentations to the IOC next month, with the IOC board set to approve a shortlist in March. If successful, South Africa would become the first African host of the Summer Games since the modern Olympics began in 1896. A previous bid for the 2004 Games in Cape Town failed. The Youth Olympics open this weekend in Dakar, Senegal, marking the first Olympic sports event held in Africa.
