CHENNAI: First Olympic Games in the continent of Africa. That could be a reality soon as South Africa has taken initiative towards bidding for the 2036 Olympics as a delegate from the country landed in Lausanne two days ago. The International Olympic Committee welcomed South Africa’s proposal to begin discussions on hosting the 2036 Games. India is among a host of nations interested in hosting the Games.
According to the IOC statement, South Africa’s sports minister, Gayton McKenzie, the president of the South African National Olympic Committee (SASCOC), Barry Hendricks, and the CEO, Nozipho Jafta, met IOC president Thomas Bach to discuss possibilities of hosting the 2036 Games. The proposal, according to the IOC, was strongly supported by the IOC Member in South Africa, Anant Singh, and IOC Honorary Member Sam Ramsamy, who also joined the meeting.
The IOC has also said that initial consultations have already started between the SA and IOC teams, led by the director of Olympic Games Future Hosts commission, Jacqueline Barrett. The IOC said that the outlines were discussed, the procedure going forward was explained, and a roadmap for the continuation of the consultations was agreed upon.
Bach welcomed the interest and said,
“The IOC warmly welcomes this interest and the united commitment of SASCOC, the government of South Africa and the support of the IOC Member and Honorary Member in South Africa. It has been presented to us today as a project to organise Olympic Games in South Africa – with and for the whole African continent. This project could one day lead to the first Olympic Games in Africa.”
Speaking about the opportunity, SASCOC President Hendricks remarked on the SASCOC website: “South Africa’s interest in hosting the 2036 Olympics and Paralympics represents a bold step forward in our nation’s sporting journey. Hosting the Games would showcase South Africa as a global destination for excellence and create a lasting legacy promoting sports development, infrastructure growth, and national unity.”