Durban selected as South Africa's candidate city for 2036 Olympics
The bid centers on Moses Mabhida Stadium and may involve events in other major cities, with a formal IOC deadline looming on October 31.
By Nikolai Patterson ·
Lwandile Simelane, acting president of the South African Sports Confederation, Olympic and Paralympic Committee, announced on Thursday that Durban will serve as the primary candidate city for South Africa’s bid to host the 2036 or 2040 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. She stated that the proposal will likely function as a multi-city bid, with specific events potentially hosted in other locations. The International Olympic Committee is scheduled to select the host city for the 2036 Games in mid-2029.
Durban, located on the subtropical Indian Ocean coast, has a population of approximately 4 million. It is the third-largest city in South Africa. The city has been considered a potential Olympic host for over a decade, a timeline that began after South Africa hosted the 2010 Football World Cup, the first such event held on the African continent. At that time, an official bid was not pursued, primarily because of concerns regarding financial costs.
Johannesburg and Cape Town were also evaluated as candidate cities before the decision was made. Durban previously lost the right to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games after failing to provide required financial and other guarantees. Officials said on Thursday that they could not yet provide cost estimates for staging the Olympics if the bid succeeds. The plan is centered on the 56,000-seat Moses Mabhida Stadium, which was constructed for the 2010 World Cup.
South Africa is one of seven nations currently bidding for the 2036 Games. The other candidates include India, Qatar, South Korea, Germany, Hungary, and Turkiye. The IOC set October 31 as the deadline for national Olympic committees to formally declare their interest. Candidates will have the opportunity to make virtual presentations to the IOC next month to initiate the official bidding process.
The IOC board is expected to approve a shortlist of candidates in March. If South Africa wins, it will become the first African host of the Summer Games since the modern Olympics began in 1896. The country, which has Africa’s largest economy, previously failed in a bid to host the 2004 Games in Cape Town.
The Youth Olympics open this weekend in Dakar, Senegal. This event marks the first Olympic sports competition to be held in Africa.
