The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) had invited Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg to bid but only Durban took up the chance.

SASCOC said the decision on whether a formal bid will be submitted to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) now rests with the national Government.

Extensive investigations and feasibility studies will soon get underway before the IOC invites countries to submit their bids in August next year after the IOC holds its annual Session in Durban, where the key decision will be the selection for the Host City of the 2018 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

Durban's bid has been boosted already by the successful hosting of seven World Cup matches earlier this year, including the semi-final between Germany and Spain, at its breathtaking Moses Mabhida Stadium, with it signature arch.

Frankie Fredericks, the four-time Olympic silver medallist who is now a member of the IOC, has already pledged his support to Durban's bid.

"It would be nice to share our culture, to share our vuvuzelas, to share our food, to share the way we do things with the world," said Fredericks, who is from South Africa's neighbours Namibia.

"I do think we should get a chance to host the largest event in the world."

Durban, which in Zulu means eThekwini, from itheku meaning "bay", is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in the country with a population of 3.5 million, forming part of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality.

It is also the country's largest port and is renowned for its sandy beaches on the banks of the Indian Ocean which have made it is a popular holiday destination.



Michael Tatalias, the chief executive of the Southern African Tourism Services Association, promised that there was already plenty of support for Durban's campaign, despite influential IOC member Nawal El Moutawakel predicting that the African continent is still 20 years away from hosting an Olympics.

"There is a huge amount of work to be done besides political desire, hence the experts' view that any realistic chance for [hosting the] Olympics in Africa is between 2030 and 2040," the Moroccan, a member of the IOC's ruling Executive Board and head of the  Coordination Commission for Rio 2016, had claimed in July.

Tatalias said: "This is a classic case of Afro-pessimism and it's sad that it comes from our own continent.

"South Africa is the only country in the world to have now hosted the soccer, rugby and cricket World Cups as well as the Twenty20 Cricket World Championships, the IPL (Indian Premier League) cricket tournament and the Confederations Cup within a period of 16 years.

"El Moutawakel's view that Africa will only be able to host the Olympics in two to three decades is way off the mark, especially from a South Africa perspective.

"South Africa, with an already strong contender in Durban, can and must bid to host the Olympics."

The IOC is due to choose the Host City for 2020 at its Session in Buenos Aires in 2013.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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