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South Africa selects Durban as main city for Olympic bid

South Africa is bidding for the 2036 or 2040 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. The International Olympic Committee will select the 2036 host city in mid-2029.

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A stadium interior with a grass pitch, multicolored seating and part of its roof structure.
A stadium interior illustrates the sporting-venue context of Durban's Olympic bid. The venue identity and photograph date have not been independently verified.

South Africa has chosen Durban as the main candidate city for its Olympic bid, Lwandile Simelane, acting president of the South African Sports Confederation, Olympic and Paralympic Committee, announced on Thursday. She said the proposal would likely involve multiple cities, with some events held elsewhere.

South Africa is seeking to host the Summer Olympics and Paralympics in 2036 or 2040. The International Olympic Committee will choose the host city for the 2036 Games in mid-2029.

Officials said on Thursday that they could not yet estimate the cost of staging the Olympics if the bid succeeds. They said Durban's bid would center on the 56,000-seat Moses Mabhida Stadium, built for the 2010 World Cup.

The city previously lost the right to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games because it could not provide the financial or other guarantees required for that event.

The IOC set October 31 as the deadline for national Olympic committees to formally declare their interest in bidding for the 2036 Games.