Durban Named South Africa’s Flagship City in 2036/2040 Olympic Bids
South Africa has officially put forward Durban as the lead city in its bid to host the 2036 or 2040 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.
Durban has been named South Africa’s preferred city for its 2036 and 2040 Olympic and Paralympic bids, the acting president of the South African Sports Confederation, Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Lwandile Simelane, said on Thursday.
Simelane clarified that while Durban will serve as the main candidate city, the proposal is expected to be a “multi‑city bid” that would allocate a number of events to other locations.
The country’s other economic hubs, Johannesburg and Cape Town, were also weighed as possible candidates before Durban emerged as the front‑runner.
Durban, a city of about 4 million on the subtropical Indian Ocean coast, first entered Olympic chatter more than a decade ago after South Africa hosted the 2010 football World Cup, but a formal bid never materialised then due to cost concerns.
The city’s recent loss of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, after failing to provide required financial guarantees, underscores the financial uncertainty surrounding large‑scale events.
Officials admitted they cannot yet provide an estimate of the cost to South Africa should the bid succeed, but noted that the plan would centre on the 56,000‑seat Moses Mabhida Stadium, built for the 2010 World Cup.
South Africa is one of seven nations vying for the 2036 Games; the other contenders are India, Qatar, South Korea, Germany, Hungary and Turkiye.
The International Olympic Committee set October 31 as the deadline for national Olympic committees to formally declare interest in the 2036 bid, and candidates will have the chance to make virtual presentations next month.
A key milestone is the IOC board’s expected approval of a shortlist in March, after which the final host city will be chosen in mid‑2029.
If successful, South Africa would become the first African nation to host the Summer Games since the modern Olympics began in 1896, a milestone not achieved despite a previous Cape Town bid for the 2004 Games.
The Youth Olympics open this weekend in Dakar, Senegal, marking the first Olympic‑related sports event to be held on the continent.
