South Africa kicks off 2036 Olympic bid with official meetings at IOC headquarters

[GBModerator]

“We are at the start of an exciting new process that could lead to South Africa hosting the 2036 Olympic Games," McKenzie said following meetings with the IOC's Future Host Commission and IOC President Thomas Bach that are aimed to secure Africa's first Olympics

The post South Africa kicks off 2036 Olympic bid with official meetings at IOC headquarters appeared first on GamesBids.com.

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[iceman530]

Pretty much as good of an idea as the South Africa world cup (it is not a good idea).  Am I off base here?

[baron-pierreIV]

Huh.  What made them come forward now?  

1.  Can they finally offer Durban as the anchor city?  It already has an Olympic-track-ready stadium (which Capetown doesn't have).  Its climate fits perfectly with the July-August window of the North.  But  . . .

2. two Southern Hemisphere OGs in a row?  

3.  Or if the India bid fails, the IOC can tick off the other box with this--thereby bypassing the other Mideast bids. 

4. Or could this be a play for 2040 instead? 

Edited November 22, 2024 by baron-pierreIV
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[iceman530]

Thats why Im thinking this one actually galvanizes the IOC.  It REALLY checks off a box if they can get it to fly.  One they've wanted to check off for quite some time.  This one might be an actual threat and real contender.

[Sir Rols]

How much of an influence could Kirsty be, if she ends up succeeding the Sun King.

[baron-pierreIV]

54 minutes ago, iceman530 said:

Thats why Im thinking this one actually galvanizes the IOC.  It REALLY checks off a box if they can get it to fly.  One they've wanted to check off for quite some time.  This one might be an actual threat and real contender.

Yeah, it could be the Hail-Mary pass for '36. Then '40 can go back to Germany/Euro.  But if the South Africans can only get their act together.  

[AustralianFan]

2 hours ago, baron-pierreIV said:

Huh.  What made them come forward now?  

1.  Can they finally offer Durban as the anchor city?  It already has an Olympic-track-ready stadium (which Capetown doesn't have).  Its climate fits perfectly with the July-August window of the North.  But  . . .

2. two Southern Hemisphere OGs in a row?  

3.  Or if the India bid fails, the IOC can tick off the other box with this--thereby bypassing the other Mideast bids. 

4. Or could this be a play for 2040 instead? 

At Paris 2024, South Africa was in amongst those promoting their interest in a future Games, without specifying an edition:

 In Paris ….- Gamesbids.com

This has now since progressed to a specific edition being 2036.

This is very significant and yes, agree with some that an African continent Games would be a huge tick.

[yoshi]

This is interesting. Really interesting. The African itch scratched. A new frontier without risking Middle East politics, & global acclaim for going to Africa rather than condemnation for Saudi or Qatar. A better Olympic record than India. A European timezone without needing to worry about whether a European bid would survive the ballot box. The chance for Bach's handpicked successor to deliver her ultimate passion project. It even resets the cycle for 2040 because there's no precedent for who follows Africa. If they can get the organisation sorted (maybe Cape Town rather than Durban?) then this might be everything the IOC have been dreaming of. 

[baron-pierreIV]

Thinking more about it, I think it's going to be a nationwide Olympics -- spread out among existing venues in Capetown, Durban, Jo'burg and Pretoria. 

Durban in not big and cosmopolitan enough to stage the whole thing, so because of the climate then, ATHLETICS and many of the outdoor sports in Durban.  The indoor sports in the other 3 cities.  That way, too, if they have to build 4 or 5 smaller OVs, that spreads out the new housing legacy -- and won't collapse the real estate market in Durban, if 3,000 units immediately become available after the Games.  Also, cruise ships can fill in for accommodations in both Durban and Capetown.  

And with the way it's going -- Opening Ceremony in Durban; Closing C in Capetown.  And they'll give the Paras to either Jo'burg or Pretoria. 

If this is the plan the IOC approves, then it becomes the test run too, for the smaller, Suisse-spread out 2038 Winter Games!  

And as for India, they can get a YOGs until they're ready for the big time in 2044 or whenever.  

Edited November 23, 2024 by baron-pierreIV

[Josh0108]

Does this mean they have officially launched a "bid"?

[baron-pierreIV]

1 hour ago, Josh0108 said:

Does this mean they have officially launched a "bid"?

If the IOC has agreed to meet with them, it certainly seems like a strong possibility -- considering the other candidates at this time and the geo-political dynamics at play.  

[brasilolimpico]

bad idea!

Weather conditions are not favorable in July-August. 

Are we going to give an Olympics to a country with a GDP of less than US$400 Billion? South Africa has huge development priorities for its economy and society before throwing several billion dollars at an Olympic bid.

It's funny that the same people who criticized Brazil for Rio 2016 completely ignore the much worse economic and social data from South Africa.

Today there is no nation on the African continent capable of hosting an Olympics, nor will there be in 2036. India is in a better position to bear the economic burden (but please put it in Delhi or Mumbai).

[sebastien1214]

2 hours ago, brasilolimpico said:

bad idea!

Weather conditions are not favorable in July-August. 

Are we going to give an Olympics to a country with a GDP of less than US$400 Billion? South Africa has huge development priorities for its economy and society before throwing several billion dollars at an Olympic bid.

It's funny that the same people who criticized Brazil for Rio 2016 completely ignore the much worse economic and social data from South Africa.

Today there is no nation on the African continent capable of hosting an Olympics, nor will there be in 2036. India is in a better position to bear the economic burden (but please put it in Delhi or Mumbai).

It's a bit presumptuous to predict what a country's GDP would be in 12 years, i.e. in 2036.

Economically, it - could - be viable if South Africa's project is based on several cities, and not just Durban (or any other city). This is what, for me, makes the idea of a South African candidacy more economically sound than Budapest for example, where they are forced to concentrate everything in a single city, and therefore build too much infrastructure for a city like Budapest, which would thus increase costs. (let's note that the Hungarian GDP is 2x lower than the South African GDP).

And if we compare to the current candidacies for 2036, if we look at the economy, South Africa is today more credible than Istanbul given the enormous inflation in Turkey.

[AustralianFan]

I fully agree @sebastien1214.

Providing the South African Government provides the usual government financial guarantees and with public support not a problem, this will be a very strong bid.

@brasilolimpico South Africa are more than capable of hosting the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 

South Afruca have:

• previously bid for the Olympics on three occasions: 1916, 1936 and 2008,
• successfully hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup,
• successfully hosted the 1995 Rugby World Cup (which it won),
• syccessfully co-hosted the Cricket World Cup in 2003 and due to co-host again in 2027.

It’s quite possible that the IOC may have relaxed the July/August hosting requirement by 2036 as they recently flagged, which would allow South Africa to host at milder time of year.

[brasilolimpico]

A poor country like South Africa should certainly have a ruler with better priorities than spending billions on the Olympics.

Are we going to ignore the population's low life expectancy, widespread poverty, poor infrastructure, weak economy, violence and high unemployment?

The South African people deserve to have better defined priorities.

Furthermore, let's take into account 1916 and 1936 as "candidacy experience"? Serious?

We can even take the 2010 FIFA World Cup into account, but what legacy did it leave for the people? white elephants?

Now are we going to ignore that it was the same country that abandoned the organization of the 2022 Commonwealth Games?

I prefer Turkey or India, before giving South Africa this responsibility in 2036.

Although it is regrettable that Spain is not promoting Madrid.

[Roger87]

27 minutes ago, AustralianFan said:

I fully agree @sebastien1214.

Providing the South African Government provides the usual government financial guarantees and with public support not a problem, this will be a very strong bid.

@brasilolimpico South Africa are more than capable of hosting the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 

South Afruca have:

• previously bid for the Olympics on three occasions: 1916, 1936 and 2008,
• successfully hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup,
• successfully hosted the 1995 Rugby World Cup (which it won),
• syccessfully co-hosted the Cricket World Cup in 2003 and due to co-host again in 2027.

It’s quite possible that the IOC may have relaxed the July/August hosting requirement by 2036 as they recently flagged, which would allow South Africa to host at milder time of year.

Someone should know the current realities of South Africa is actually facing before writing this optimist delulu lol.

Academic people and even some political analysts are seriously speaking about a potential (and perhaps violent) balkanization of South Africa by mid-2030s. The cronyism inside the government (for ANC and opposition parties) is a huge deal and right now, the coalition government is so volatile we don't even know if they will survive for 5 years (Heck people said 2 years is too much). 

And speaking of successful as the FIFA World Cup when it left white elephants, a financial hole and internal riffs within communities is not precisely good. But hey, it was better on cameras lol. 

[Roger87]

56 minutes ago, sebastien1214 said:

And if we compare to the current candidacies for 2036, if we look at the economy, South Africa is today more credible than Istanbul given the enormous inflation in Turkey.

While the inflation is controlled in South Africa, the country is facing a stagnation since few years ago like an ongoing energy crisis (it became news when they weren't blackouts for a month, lol) and slow growth

[sebastien1214]

7 minutes ago, Roger87 said:

While the inflation is controlled in South Africa, the country is facing a stagnation since few years ago like an ongoing energy crisis (it became news when they weren't blackouts for a month, lol) and slow growth

Yes, but it is not because the South African economy has been stagnating for several years that it will necessarily be the case in 12 years. When Brazil won the organization of the Games, who imagined that seven years later, in 2016, the Brazilian economy would be in a serious crisis? Maybe in South Africa the economy will have collapsed in 2036. Or maybe it will have returned to strong growth. I do not know, and no one can seriously make such a prediction. (this is one of the reasons why I find it totally absurd to award the organization of the Olympic Games 10 years, more or less, in advance. Let's go back to the usual delay of 7 years. It does not eliminate the risk of being "wrong", but let's say that it reduces it)

(and maybe in 2036 the Turkish economy will be doing much better. However, there remains a big unknown, which is the seismic risk in Istanbul)

[AustralianFan]

3 minutes ago, brasilolimpico said:

A poor country like South Africa should certainly have a ruler with better priorities than spending billions on the Olympics.

Are we going to ignore the population's low life expectancy, widespread poverty, poor infrastructure, weak economy, violence and high unemployment?

The South African people deserve to have better defined priorities.

Furthermore, let's take into account 1916 and 1936 as "candidacy experience"? Serious?

We can even take the 2010 FIFA World Cup into account, but what legacy did it leave for the people? white elephants?

Now are we going to ignore that it was the same country that abandoned the organization of the 2022 Commonwealth Games?

I prefer Turkey or India, before giving South Africa this responsibility in 2036.

Although it is regrettable that Spain is not promoting Madrid.

These things you mention are not anything to do with the IOC nor the New Norm Host Selection processes.

The reality is that the African continent has never hosted the Olympic Games before and would garner huge support amongst IOC Members who would support such a bid.  That’s why South Africa is now formally entering dialogue with the IOC to host the Games in 2036.

You’rec also bringing up personal opinions and trying to speak on behalf of the people of South Africa and what they want.  If you want to speak on behalf of the people of South Afruca, you will need to go to South Africa and be elected as a politician there.

The following things have nothing to do with the IOC when a Country is put forward to IOC Members for Election as an Olympic Host:

• ”South Africa should certainly have a ruler with better priorities”
• “low life expectancy, widespread poverty, poor infrastructure, weak economy, violence and high unemployment”
• “South African people deserve to have better defined priorities”

Yes, South Africa has long been a strong sporting country across many Olympic sports and has lots  of existing infrastructure and no white elephant venues.   That in itself is a very a big IOC New Norm positive from their previous highly successful hosting of various World Cups and their own existing domestic sporting competitions.

Yes, South Africa have unsuccessfully bid for the Olympics three times in the modern era of the Olympics and so this will add to the support of IOC Members and the momentum of their bid to be the first Olympic Host on the African continent.

 

[AustralianFan]

7 minutes ago, AustralianFan said:

These things you mention are not anything to do with the IOC nor the New Norm Host Selection processes.

The reality is that the African continent has never hosted the Olympic Games before and would garner huge support amongst IOC Members who would support such a bid.  That’s why South Africa is now formally entering dialogue with the IOC to host the Games in 2036.

You’rec also bringing up personal opinions and trying to speak on behalf of the people of South Africa and what they want.  If you want to speak on behalf of the people of South Afruca, you will need to go to South Africa and be elected as a politician there.

The following things have nothing to do with the IOC when a Country is put forward to IOC Members for Election as an Olympic Host:

• ”South Africa should certainly have a ruler with better priorities”
• “low life expectancy, widespread poverty, poor infrastructure, weak economy, violence and high unemployment”
• “South African people deserve to have better defined priorities”

Yes, South Africa has long been a strong sporting country across many Olympic sports and has lots  of existing infrastructure and no white elephant venues.   That in itself is a very a big IOC New Norm positive from their previous highly successful hosting of various World Cups and their own existing domestic sporting competitions.

Yes, South Africa have unsuccessfully bid for the Olympics three times in the modern era of the Olympics and so this will add to the support of IOC Members and the momentum of their bid to be the first Olympic Host on the African continent.

 

The Stadiums from the 1995 Rugby World Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup will be regarded as existing infrastructure by the IOC and will mean instant go-to stadiums for several Olympic sports including the Olympic Football, Rugby Sevens and new Olympic sports from 2028 of *Flag Football (*now played by 20 million worldwide).

 

[baron-pierreIV]

Folks, that's why the RSA delegation is talking with the IOC.  They're trying to see if it COULD work. 

I think spread out it could work -- and I believe the IOC will subsidize these Games heavily!! 

[krow]

i sincerely doubt the IOC is willing to spend one penny to bring the games to africa. 

everyone on earth knows it's completely unworkable — except AF obviously — and any dialogue is purely for the sake of optics and to be used as leverage against whoever will ultimately host 2036 and 40. whichever cities get it will be in a country with the money to spend and the economy to back it up.

[brasilolimpico]

Okay, let's take it to a referendum and see if the South Africans support it.

The IOC only wants to market these games, and let's face it, that's putting a huge burden on a poor nation.

The Olympics aren't just about FIFA stadiums; there's a whole infrastructure that needs to be built, which would certainly result in huge post-game white elephants.

The South African economy is weak and has been in a depression for several years. Of course, no one can predict what a country will be like in 10 years' time. But of course, we can take fewer risks by seeking a larger economy, where if everything goes wrong, the Olympic weight won't be so great.

An African bid could be viable for the late 2040s, and not necessarily just for South Africa. Other countries like Egypt and Nigeria could be discussed.

Furthermore, I highly doubt that the IOC would prefer to risk South Africa at this point. Financial pressure within the IOC is always a factor, and it is likely that a bid from the Middle East or India will have a better chance in 2036.

I don't see the point in South Africa bidding for something like the Olympics, if they want to pursue the Rugby World Cup, Cricket World Cup or again with FIFA, that's fine. The cost won't be that great.

As mentioned above, the 2010 FIFA World Cup didn't exactly leave a legacy for the people of South Africa, and not even the 2014 FIFA World Cup left a legacy for the Brazilian people that was worth the billions spent.

At the time of the bid, the support of the Brazilian people was high, but as a Brazilian I can say that most of our people today don't think that the World Cup or Rio 2016 were a good deal.

[baron-pierreIV]

15 minutes ago, brasilolimpico said:

Okay, let's take it to a referendum and see if the South Africans support it.

The IOC only wants to market these games, and let's face it, that's putting a huge burden on a poor nation.

The Olympics aren't just about FIFA stadiums; there's a whole infrastructure that needs to be built, which would certainly result in huge post-game white elephants.

The South African economy is weak and has been in a depression for several years. Of course, no one can predict what a country will be like in 10 years' time. But of course, we can take fewer risks by seeking a larger economy, where if everything goes wrong, the Olympic weight won't be so great.

An African bid could be viable for the late 2040s, and not necessarily just for South Africa. Other countries like Egypt and Nigeria could be discussed.

Furthermore, I highly doubt that the IOC would prefer to risk South Africa at this point. Financial pressure within the IOC is always a factor, and it is likely that a bid from the Middle East or India will have a better chance in 2036.

I don't see the point in South Africa bidding for something like the Olympics, if they want to pursue the Rugby World Cup, Cricket World Cup or again with FIFA, that's fine. The cost won't be that great.

As mentioned above, the 2010 FIFA World Cup didn't exactly leave a legacy for the people of South Africa, and not even the 2014 FIFA World Cup left a legacy for the Brazilian people that was worth the billions spent.

At the time of the bid, the support of the Brazilian people was high, but as a Brazilian I can say that most of our people today don't think that the World Cup or Rio 2016 were a good deal.

I'm not even reading past your first line.  Why are you so against it?  

#1 - It's not really your decision to proceed with it or not. 

#2 - Between the IOC and the RSA, I think they can decide what's best for them. 

#3 - Let the discussion flow.  That's what this website is about -- and in concept, a South Africa bid is about as exciting and feasible as there is for 2036.  

Stop being a party POOP!! 

[brasilolimpico]

Just now, baron-pierreIV said:

I'm not even reading past your first line.  Why are you so against it?  

#1 - It's not really your decision to proceed with it or not. 

#2 - Between the IOC and the RSA, I think they can decide what's best for them. 

#3 - Let the discussion flow.  That's what this website is about -- and in concept, a South Africa bid is about as exciting and feasible as there is for 2036.  

Stop being a party POOP!! 

I am not preventing a debate about the Olympic bid; on the contrary, I am debating it and showing how I see it as absurd, considering the current situation of an undeveloped country in economic difficulty.

It is not my decision or anyone else's on this site, but I imagine that this does not prevent the subject from being discussed.

I think it would be absurd for the IOC to place the burden of the games on a people who are so deprived of so many other more important things. South Africa is not like France, the United Kingdom and the United States, which can host the Olympic circus for two weeks and then move on as if nothing had happened.

Hosting an Olympic Games demands a series of costs that fall on the people, look at the legacy of Athens and Rio.

For two weeks everything is beautiful, but after the circus leaves for the next city, what is left for these people?

We need to be realistic here, if the IOC wants to go to South Africa, fine, but it would be fair to have a referendum on the matter for the South African people.

In the end I don't think this is an Olympic bid that the IOC really wants to consider.