South Africa is to bid for the 2024 Olympics
and also wants to host the Commonwealth
Games two years before that, the country's
sports minister Fikile Mbabula said.
"The biggest fish
to catch is the 2024 Olympics," the Business Day
newspaper on Tuesday quoted Mbabula as saying.
"Sport plays a role in terms of infrastructure
development," he told reporters, adding South
Africa's president Jacob Zuma had already indicated
the country was ready to host the Games.
It is a major shift in policy for South Africa who last
year said the cost to host an Olympics would be too
high. Cape Town lost out in the bid for the 2004
Olympics in the first attempt by an African city to
host the Games.
Durban was touted to bid for 2020 but plans were
put on ice after the government said it would be too
expensive but since last year there have been several
signals of a change of heart.
Bidding for the 2024 Olympics will begin in 2015 and
the International Olympic Committee will decide the
winner in 2017. The next Olympics in 2016 will be
held in Rio de Janeiro while Tokyo will host the 2020
Games.
An African city is in line to host the 2022
Commonwealth Games with expressions of intent due
by next month. The next Commonwealth Games are
in Glasgow later this year and on Australia's Gold
Coast in 2018. South Africa hosted the soccer World
Cup four years ago, spending more than $3 billion in
infra-structure costs
and also wants to host the Commonwealth
Games two years before that, the country's
sports minister Fikile Mbabula said.
"The biggest fish
to catch is the 2024 Olympics," the Business Day
newspaper on Tuesday quoted Mbabula as saying.
"Sport plays a role in terms of infrastructure
development," he told reporters, adding South
Africa's president Jacob Zuma had already indicated
the country was ready to host the Games.
It is a major shift in policy for South Africa who last
year said the cost to host an Olympics would be too
high. Cape Town lost out in the bid for the 2004
Olympics in the first attempt by an African city to
host the Games.
Durban was touted to bid for 2020 but plans were
put on ice after the government said it would be too
expensive but since last year there have been several
signals of a change of heart.
Bidding for the 2024 Olympics will begin in 2015 and
the International Olympic Committee will decide the
winner in 2017. The next Olympics in 2016 will be
held in Rio de Janeiro while Tokyo will host the 2020
Games.
An African city is in line to host the 2022
Commonwealth Games with expressions of intent due
by next month. The next Commonwealth Games are
in Glasgow later this year and on Australia's Gold
Coast in 2018. South Africa hosted the soccer World
Cup four years ago, spending more than $3 billion in
infra-structure costs
No comments:
Post a Comment