Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie wrapped up a meeting last week with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland.
‘We are at the start of an exciting new process that could lead to South Africa hosting the 2036 Olympic Games,’ McKenzie said following the stakeholder engagement with the IOC.
According to a press release, the minister was joined by the president of the South African Sports Confederation Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SASCOC), Barry Hendricks, and CEO Nozipho Jafta, with support via electronic dial-in to the meetings of South Africa’s IOC Member Anant Singh and Honorary IOC Member Dr Sam Ramsamy.
Engagements began in a meeting with the IOC’s Future Host Cities staff and concluded in a broader discussion with the IOC President, Dr Thomas Bach.
‘Interested Party’
South Africa’s interest in hosting the 2036 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games has now been lodged with the IOC, marking the country as an Interested Party.
This will lead to a feasibility study being conducted under the guidance of the IOC to determine which city, region or combination of places would be best suited to hosting the Games, with the IOC’s updated approach to bidding emphasising sustainability, the socioeconomic development of the host country and the use of as many existing facilities as possible.
Minister Gayton McKenzie will report back to Cabinet on the process ahead, likely to play out over several months, before government will make the decision to lodge an official bid for the IOC’s Members to consider.
The costs of putting in a bid to host an Olympics, according to the IOC, have now dropped by as much as 80% due to its new approach, while the actual hosting of the Olympics is also likely to produce results that justify the investment for any host.
The Minister said, “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”.
At this stage, engagements with the IOC are non-committal, with the emphasis being on how best to shape an Olympic bid that will work best for South Africa and the Olympic Movement under the guidance of the IOC.
Minister Gayton McKenzie emphasised the fact that no country in Africa has ever hosted any edition of an Olympics, and South Africa’s bid should be seen as a bid for the entire continent.
“The Government of National Unity under President Cyril Ramaphosa is all about reigniting the fire in the bellies of proud, patriotic South Africans to make South Africa the greatest country in the world. 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”, concluded McKenzie.
South Africa previously bid to host the 2004 Olympics and Paralympics but lost out to Athens in Greece.
The next Olympics will be held in 2028 in Los Angeles, with Brisbane in Australia to host the 2032 edition.
Should South Africa bid for the Olympics – or is it a giant waste of money?
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