South Africa has selected Durban as its preferred city for a bid to host the 2036 or 2040 Olympic and Paralympic Games, bringing the prospect of a first African Summer Olympics into sharper focus.

The choice was announced on Thursday, 29 October, by South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee acting president Lwandile Simelane. Reuters reported the announcement and government backing following cabinet approval.

Durban’s selection is a national proposal. It does not mean the International Olympic Committee has chosen South Africa to stage either edition, or that the country has completed the financial and technical work required.

Durban leads a potentially wider plan

The Associated Press, in a report carried by iNFOnews, said Simelane identified Durban as the main candidate city while describing the likely proposal as involving more than one city.

Johannesburg and Cape Town were also considered as lead candidates. AP reported that officials were not yet able to provide an estimate of the cost of staging the Games.

That leaves an important distinction between naming the city that would anchor a bid and publishing a fully costed delivery plan. The distribution of events, the use of existing facilities and the obligations placed on public bodies will matter as the proposal develops.

A multi-city approach may spread activity, but it also makes transport, coordination and responsibility across different authorities important parts of the assessment.

South Africa’s government had already approved entry into the IOC’s Continuous Dialogue process in November 2025. Thursday’s city announcement therefore builds on an existing expression of national interest rather than creating an Olympic project from nothing.

The IOC’s next steps

The IOC’s published pathway for the 2036 host selection identifies South Africa among seven interested parties in Continuous Dialogue. The others are Germany, Hungary, India, Qatar, the Republic of Korea and Türkiye.

The IOC says interested parties will make virtual presentations to its Future Host Commission in November. Feasibility assessments are due by March 2027, when its Executive Board is expected to move selected projects into Strategic Dialogue.

A further stage, Targeted Dialogue with preferred hosts, is scheduled for December 2028. The election of the 2036 host is planned for mid-2029.

Those dates concern the 2036 selection process. They should not be presented as a confirmed timetable for choosing a 2040 host.

The IOC says assessment will consider venues and athlete experience, funding, political and public support, delivery capability and long-term benefits for host communities. Technical evaluation and public opinion polling are part of the process.

Opportunity, with a record to examine

An African host would carry significance for athletes and supporters who want the continent represented in the geography of major global sport. The practical case, however, will need to show how the Games would fit local needs.

Durban’s earlier experience will form part of that discussion. Reuters notes that the city was awarded the 2022 Commonwealth Games before the Commonwealth Games Federation withdrew hosting rights in 2017, citing unmet obligations.

That history does not determine the outcome of a future Olympic proposal. It does make clear, credible commitments and public scrutiny particularly important.

For residents, the relevant questions include what facilities would remain useful, how transport and public services would be affected, and which costs would fall on whom. These are questions for the developing plan, not benefits that can already be claimed as delivered.

For African and diaspora audiences, there are also different Olympic stories to follow at different stages. RIM’s Dakar 2026 preview concerns the Youth Olympic Games; Durban’s announcement concerns a proposed future Summer Olympics and Paralympics.

The immediate news is a preferred city and a continuing bid process. The next evidence to watch is the substance of South Africa’s proposal and the IOC’s assessment of it.

Why this matters

A future African Summer Olympics would be a major sporting and cultural milestone for audiences across the continent and diaspora. Durban’s selection makes the ambition more concrete, but the public interest lies in a proposal that is affordable, accountable and useful beyond the event. Separating national preference from an IOC award allows supporters to celebrate the possibility while examining the commitments still required.

Sources

Topics: Durban · South Africa · Olympic bid · Paralympics · African sport · 2036 Olympics

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