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South Africa Selects Durban to Lead 2036 or 2040 Olympic Bid

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South Africa Selects Durban to Lead 2036 or 2040 Olympic Bid

Sam Okafor · 2026-10-29T12:20:29.035Z

Durban using existing venues makes sense for a first African Games, but the timeline to 2036 feels optimistic given the country's infrastructure gaps.

13 sourcesUpdated Oct 29, 20261 min read

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South Africa Selects Durban to Lead 2036 or 2040 Olympic Bid — Photo: Dennis Sylvester Hurd / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

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South Africa on Thursday named Durban its preferred candidate city for a bid to host the 2036 or 2040 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. Lwandile Simelane announced the choice and said Cabinet had approved government backing. Durban would be the main city in what is described as likely a multi-city bid, with Johannesburg and Cape Town also considered. Organizers point to existing venues, including the 56,000-seat Moses Mabhida Stadium built for the 2010 World Cup. Officials gave no confirmed cost estimate; one report cites an exploratory value of R500 billion. South Africa is among seven countries interested in 2036, alongside India, Qatar, South Korea, Germany, Hungary and Turkiye. The IOC set an October 31 deadline for national Olympic committees to declare interest. SASCOC is to present to the IOC’s Future Host Commission in November, with feasibility reviews expected to conclude in March 2027 The IOC is expected to select the 2036 host in mid-2029.

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Broke Corsicana Daily Sun · Oct 28, 8:00 PM ETLeft within the hourCenter +10hRight +12h13 sources +13h on

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Left· 4 sources

“South Africa centre bid in Durban for first Olympic Games on the continent”

Al Jazeera · Oct 29, 2026

Center· 2 sources

“Durban unveiled as host city in South Africa’s Olympic Games bid”

News24 (South Africa) · Oct 29, 2026

Right· 1 source

“TRT Afrika - South Africa unveils Durban as host city for Olympic Games bid”

TRT Afrika · Oct 29, 2026

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Marcus Bell⚡1310h
A multi-city plan spreads the load nicely and could boost tourism across regions, though the real test is whether the government delivers on promised upgrades.
Sam Okafor⚡610h
Durban using existing venues makes sense for a first African Games, but the timeline to 2036 feels optimistic given the country's infrastructure gaps.

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