Durban 2020: Official Thread

[Rafa]

The visit to the city is the real deal. All the good and bad of Durban will be on show.

Durban won the 2011 bid since I think it lost the previous bid for an IOC session.

Then there's the reality that given the quality of other cities that Durban may not shortlist at all.

[Sir Rols]

To my mind, the only problem with the Durban session is it's gonna be right at the kick-start of the official 2020 bidding cycle. The applicant cities line-up will just be firming up, and while it will mean that Durban will come out of it and lead the early skirmishes with an inevitable early momentum and sentiment (and just watch for the gushing pronouncements here on the board when the session's on and the membership is enjoying their evening's entertainment at the Moses Mabhida and such that the city has now signed and sealed the election), bidding campaigns are littered with the collateral damage of bidders who sprint out of the blocks and fade in the final straight. I'll be more interested to see how Durban maintains the momentum, and who's messages are breaking through the campaign clutter in the final six months to Buenos Aires.

[Rafa]

I knew this was coming but personally I want Durban to just go ahead without any of in-fighting.

Sascoc blamed for SA games bid confusion: Cape Town, Johannesburg, PE request formal opportunity to bid

Sep 19, 2010 12:00 AM | By BONGANI MTHETHWA

South Africa's bid to become the first African country to host the 2020 summer Olympic Games is in disarray.

Last week, the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) announced that Durban would be punted as a host city when a formal submission is made to the International Olympic Committee next year.

The announcement followed a Sascoc claim that Durban was the only city - of four invited cities - to have submitted a bid.

Sascoc CEO Tubby Reddy said Cape Town, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth had been invited to submit bids, but had snubbed the opportunity.

"They were all invited and we have received no response," he said.

But Cape Town says it was not given a formal deadline for the submission of its bid, and Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth denied ever being invited to bid.

A number of attempts to contact Reddy for further comment on the three cities' claims were unsuccessful.

Cape Town's communications director, Pieter Cronje, said the city had asked Sascoc to give it enough time to submit a bid, but had received no response.

"Hosting the Olympics is a major project which requires guaranteed national funding, a needs assessment for the facilities and venues required, the operational capacity to host and an assessment of legacy benefits," he said.

Only after that assessment had been completed would the city decide whether to submit a bid to host the games.

"Previous communication from Sascoc asked an open-ended question about the City of Cape Town's interest, but gave no process, format or deadline. That's why the city is now requesting a formal opportunity to consider the possible submission of a bid," he said.

Cape Town lost to Athens when the city made a bid for the 2004 Olympics.

Johannesburg's deputy director of communications, Nthatise Modingoane, said the city was not aware of any invitation from Sascoc.

"Johannesburg has never made any pronouncements regarding the submission of a bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games," he said.

Nelson Mandela Bay Metro spokesman Luncedo Njezula said he was not aware of an invitation to Port Elizabeth to submit a bid.

Durban's municipal manager, Mike Sutcliffe, said the city was delighted that Sascoc had chosen it as the potential South African 2020 Olympic host city.

"We believe climate, altitude, ability to host events, our design of the sports precinct, compliant stadium and other facilities all play their part in making us a potential contender," he said.

He refused to comment on the details of the bid.

"I would prefer that we don't get into such detail as, over the next few months, we'll be exploring many of these issues in even more detail with both Sascoc and the national government."

The 2020 Olympics could cost the country an estimated R40-billion, nearly the same amount it cost to host the World Cup.

The IOC will send a formal invitation to countries to submit their bids after its session in Durban in August next year.

The host city will be announced in 2013.

[Jim856796]

Cape Ton already bade for the Olympics, Durban is planning to bid for the Olympics, why should Port Elizabeth bid?

[baron-pierreIV]

Plus let's not forget the Koreans, Germans and French will be at the membership hammer and tongs with the 2018 vote, so who's to say how much notice the membership can give Durban's 2020 aspirations amongst the hurley burley.

Oh, I am sure they can handle it. And the city selection is always the first order of business anyway, isn't it? So after the first 2 days, that item's outta the way, losers are licking their wounds...but the rest of the membership will have to move on to rubber-stamp other items on the agenda. And of course, they will be subjected to all sorts of festivities by the hosts. They will need to get outta the session to let off a little steam.

[SINGATA]

OK, Durban, listen up!!

You will need a very catchy theme song to drum in the IOC members' ears there next July. This is a good strategic, recall tactic, so that when the vote comes around in 2013, you can use the theme song for the video and it should bring back the good impressions the IOC'ers would've had of their session in Durban in 2011.

Unless you get an original tune, may I suggest starting with "Southern Nights"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8eI1LgHWKQ&feature=related

Get Shakira, Beyonce, Celine or someone of that stature who goes big with the older male demographic of the IOC, and implant that image and song into the subconscious next year...which then should build up to the presentation in BA in 2013.

OK, I got a working title..."Come Back to Dear Old Durban!"

(For this bit of pro advice, of course, I expect to be consulted on the Opening Ceremony and/or at least 2 tix.)

******************************

Also, look at some of Durban's Sister cities (per WIki):

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Antwerp, Flanders, Belgium

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

[SINGATA]

New here, bare with me & not so techo savvy.

Anyway I like your idea of gettin a well know International Artist and do a cathy song or even an Album. Something I have to state, I doubted the Rio bid and even underrated it, until I saw the Diana Krall promo video for her new album in our local station.

It was Entirely composed and shot in Rio, the side of Rio I never thought existed, it was so bueatifuly done and sensual, just that promo change my views about Rio. I think a similar marketing strategy for Durban my work on its Favor.

[Jim856796]

The following infrastructure improvements should be done in order for Durban to host a Summer Olympics:

At the Kings Park Sporting Precinct:

* Expand Moses Mabhida stadium to a 75k capacity (perhaps permanently)

* Build a brand-new 12,000-seat gymnasium for basketball or handball

* Build brand-new indoor velodrome with a 250-metre track to replace existing Cyril Geohegan Velodrome

* Redevelopment of Kings Park Swimming Pool to a 10k capacity

* Build temporary venues for Beack Volleyball and BMX

* New venue for Archery

* Build Olympic Vllage at former Drive-in site (now a parking lot)

* Build new 300-room hotel

* Demolish existing Kings Park Stadium (venue for Rugby Sevens) after Olympics

Elsewhere in Durban:

* Redevelop/add the stands at Kingsmead Stadium and make it all;-seater

* Redevelop parking lots near International Convention Centre for MPC/IBC

* Add more skyscrapers to CBD and add 500-room hotel

* Build new artificial whitewater slalom course at Umgeni River.