South Africa has launched a campaign to host the first ever Olympic and Paralympic Games in Africa as early as 2036.
A delegation traveled to International Olympic Committee (IOC) headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland Friday to initiate Continuous Dialogue, a phase of the bid process that allows interested parties to discuss their projects without any commitment and in strict confidence. The prospective bid must also follow set rules of conduct.
South Africa’s Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie led the delegation that included South African Sports Confederation Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SASCOC) president Barry Hendricks and CEO Nozipho Jafta. South African IOC Member Anant Singh and Honorary IOC Member Dr Sam Ramsamy joined the discussion remotely.
“We are at the start of an exciting new process that could lead to South Africa hosting the 2036 Olympic Games,” McKenzie said following meetings with the IOC’s Future Host Commission and IOC President Thomas Bach.
Bach, who will step down as president when his final term concludes next June, last month encouraged bids from Africa during an official tour of the continent.
“In order to have the Games in Africa, an African country must show interest in organizing the Games and a number of African countries are in a position to organize the event after all the reforms that we have undertaken,” Bach said in Nairobi, Kenya.
While in Johannesburg, South Africa Bach said “Africa is on the rise and South Africa has the stability, the infrastructure and vision to stage an Olympics.”
Now a feasibility study will be launched with the assistance of the IOC to determine which cities or regions will be included in a possible Games, and then Minister McKenzie will report back to his cabinet before the government decides whether to lodge a bid. This process is expected to take several months. The IOC has no set timetable for the election of future hosts but it is expected that one or more preferred candidates could be selected as early as 2026.
“The trip this week is the proud culmination of our meeting last month with Dr. Bach during his visit to South Africa. It became clear in discussions with him that bidding for an Olympics is no longer as difficult, prescriptive and expensive as it used to be, and that it would be a very constructive and progressive experience,” McKenzie said.
Other regions interested in 2036 include Hungary, India, Istanbul in Türkiye, Indonesia, Santiago in Chile, South Korea, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Egypt could also be in the running to become the first-ever African host.
Cape Town 2004 was the only previous South African bid, failing to secure the Games while placing third to Athens and Rome.
Africa is the only populated continent never to have hosted the Olympics. Underdog Rio de Janeiro was awarded the 2016 Olympic Games primarily due to the success of a campaign to set the Games in South America for the first time.
South Africa hosted the FIFA World Cup in 2010 and east coast city Durban was awarded the Commonwealth Games in 2022 only to have it stripped after failing to meet financial commitments. Durban also staged the IOC’s 123rd Session in 2011.
“Building around the vision of the first African Olympics will bring us together and showcase Africa to the world, which is what has driven us to start asking the question of what can be done to make this dream a reality,” McKenzie said.
Los Angeles is set to host the Games in 2028 while Brisbane, Australia will stage the Games in 2032.
