International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge said Thursday that South Africa is ready to host the 2020 Summer Olympic Games.
He told a press conference in Durban, “the country is ready. The 2010 World Cup showed South Africa was ready to organize the Olympic Games. It’s up to them now to decide”.
In May the South African government deferred on a potential bid by a city such as Durban for 2020, preferring to invest in basic infrastructure. Chief government spokesman Jimmy Manyi said at the time, “the decision taken by cabinet is final”.
However, The Associated Press reports Rogge said he had come from talks with South African President Jacob Zuma during the IOC’s congress in Durban with a feeling the Olympics still might be on the agenda. He said he had sensed “a strong desire for a future bid in 2020 or 2024”.
