South Africa has named Durban as the city it wants to put forward to host the first Olympic and Paralympic Games ever staged on African soil, with the country aiming at either the 2036 or the 2040 edition.

The announcement was made on Thursday by Lwandile Simelane, the acting president of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC). According to Reuters and The Associated Press, she said Durban would be the lead candidate city, although the final proposal is likely to be a "multi-city bid" that spreads some events to other parts of the country.

Johannesburg and Cape Town, the country's economic hubs, had also been considered before SASCOC settled on the Indian Ocean port city of about four million people.

Government backing, but no price tag yet

The South African cabinet has already approved the bid, giving it formal government support. Officials, however, said they could not yet say how much it would cost to stage the Games if South Africa wins.

The plan would be built around the 56,000-seat Moses Mabhida Stadium, which was put up for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the first World Cup held in Africa. South African outlet IOL described it as a historic bid, while reports noted that questions over cost, facilities and public transport still need to be worked out.

A crowded race and a tight timetable

South Africa is one of seven countries that have shown interest in the 2036 Games, alongside India, Qatar, South Korea, Germany, Hungary and Turkey. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) set October 31 as the deadline for national Olympic committees to formally declare their interest.

The next steps are:

  • Virtual presentations by bidders to the IOC's Future Host Commission in November 2026.
  • Feasibility reviews ending in March 2027, when the IOC board is expected to approve a shortlist.
  • A final decision on the 2036 host in 2029.

Durban's mixed record

The choice of Durban carries some history. The city won the right to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games, but the Commonwealth Games Federation stripped it of the event in 2017 after it failed to meet financial and other guarantees. Durban was also floated as a possible Olympic host after the 2010 World Cup, but no formal bid came then, largely over cost fears. South Africa's only previous Olympic bid, for Cape Town to host the 2004 Games, also failed.

If it succeeds, South Africa would become the first African country to host the Summer Olympics since the modern Games began in 1896.

The announcement comes days before the Youth Olympic Games open in Dakar, Senegal, on Saturday, the first Olympic event ever staged in Africa. Kenya is sending a team of more than 50 young athletes to Dakar, where the Games run until November 13.

For East Africa, a Durban Games would bring the world's biggest sporting event within a few hours' flight, and would be closely watched in Nairobi, which is preparing to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships.

Photos: Schalk van Zuydam/AP via Al Jazeera; The Citizen (South Africa). Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.