The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has confirmed that South Africa has expressed interest in becoming the first African country to host the Summer Olympic Games in 2036.
South Africa is among seven countries - Hungary, India, Qatar, Turkey, Germany and South Korea engaged in “continuous dialogue” with the IOC over potential bids to host the 2036 Olympics.
While the first five are seeking to host the Summer Games for the first time, Germany and South Korea have previously staged the Olympics.
The IOC has set October 31 as the deadline for interested National Olympic Committees (NOCs) to submit formal expressions of interest.
Interested parties will make virtual presentations to the IOC’s Future Host Commission in November, after which feasibility assessments are expected to be completed by March 2027.
The NOCs will then enter a strategic dialogue with the IOC as the process towards selecting the host for the 2036 Games progresses.
South Africa’s proposal involves a multi-city bid featuring Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg.
Durban had previously been selected to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games but withdrew from the process in 2017.
India’s bid centres on Ahmedabad, which is scheduled to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and has also expressed interest in hosting the 2038 Asian Games.
Budapest is the proposed host city for Hungary, while Doha would host Qatar’s bid. Qatar staged the 2022 FIFA World Cup, while Budapest hosted the 2022 World Aquatics Championships and the 2023 World Athletics Championships.
Turkey’s bid is centred on Istanbul, which has previously made unsuccessful bids to host the 2000, 2008 and 2020 Olympic Games. The city is also scheduled to host the 2027 European Games.
Germany’s bid includes Munich, which previously hosted the Olympics in 1972. Germany also staged the Games in Berlin in 1936.
South Korea’s proposal involves Seoul, which hosted the 1988 Olympics, and North Jeolla Province.
The IOC also said several other NOCs were engaged in non-committal discussions about hosting Olympic Games beyond 2036.
The United Kingdom, for instance, said in May that its government was in discussions about supporting potential bids for the Olympics and Paralympics in the 2040s.
The 2028 Olympics will be held in Los Angeles, United States, while Brisbane, Australia, will host the 2032 Games.
