South Africa selects Durban to lead bid for Africa’s first Summer Olympics

South Africa has chosen Durban as its preferred city for a bid to bring the Summer Olympics and Paralympics to Africa for the first time. The country is seeking to stage either the 2036 or 2040 Games, with the International Olympic Committee expected to select the 2036 host in mid-2029.

Lwandile Simelane, acting president of the South African Sports Confederation, Olympic and Paralympic Committee, announced the choice on Thursday, October 29. She said Durban would lead the proposal, although it would probably take the form of a “multi-city bid”, with a number of events proposed for locations elsewhere in South Africa.

Johannesburg and Cape Town, both economic hubs, had also been considered as possible lead cities. Durban is South Africa’s third-largest city, with about 4 million residents, and lies on the country’s subtropical Indian Ocean coastline.

The possibility of Durban hosting the Olympics was raised more than a decade ago, after South Africa staged the 2010 football World Cup, the first held in Africa. That interest did not develop into a formal Olympic bid, largely because of concerns about the expense. Durban subsequently lost the right to stage the 2022 Commonwealth Games after failing to provide the financial and other guarantees required.

Officials said on Thursday that they could not yet offer an estimate of what hosting the Olympics would cost South Africa. They identified the 56,000-seat Moses Mabhida Stadium as the centre of Durban’s proposed Games. The stadium was constructed for the 2010 World Cup.

South Africa is one of seven countries seeking the 2036 Olympics. The other contenders are India, Qatar, South Korea, Germany, Hungary and Turkiye. National Olympic committees have until October 31 to formally register their interest with the IOC.

The next stage gives candidates an opportunity to present their proposals virtually to the IOC in November, beginning the official bidding process. The IOC has identified March as a key point in that process, when its board is due to approve a shortlist.

A successful South African bid would make the country the first African host of the Summer Games since the modern Olympics began in 1896. Africa’s largest economy previously sought the 2004 Olympics with a bid centred on Cape Town, but was unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, Dakar in Senegal is preparing to open the Youth Olympics this weekend. Those Games will be the first Olympic sports event held on the African continent.