Lone-bidder Durban to host 2022 Commonwealth games – Olympics far off

A general view of the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban is seen in this December 8, 2009 file photo. The South African coastal city was selected as the host for the 2022 Commonwealth Games at the Federation's general assembly in New Zealand on Wednesday. REUTERS/Rogan Ward/Files
A general view of the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban is seen in this December 8, 2009 file photo. The South African coastal city was selected as the host for the 2022 Commonwealth Games at the Federation’s general assembly in New Zealand on Wednesday. REUTERS/Rogan Ward/Files

(Reuters) — The decision to award the 2022 Commonwealth Games to Durban would delay any bid from SA to host an Olympics, officials said on Wednesday, effectively ruling themselves out until at least the 2032 summer Games. Durban became the first African city to be awarded a global multi-sport event on Wednesday when the Commonwealth Games Federation approved their bid for the 2022 Games at a general assembly in Auckland.

The coastal city was the only bidder for the event, which is held every four years and features athletes from over 50 countries and territories, mostly former British colonies. Edmonton in Canada withdrew their bid in February for financial issues.

Despite winning the Commonwealth Games bid and having a history of hosting World Cups for rugby, cricket and soccer in the past 20 years, SA sports officials said there were no plans in the immediate future to bid for an Olympics. “The SA government has expressed an ambition to host an Olympics …” Alec Moemi, SA’s D-G for Sport & Recreation, told reporters. “But we are fairly focused now that we should pay attention to the Commonwealth Games in 2022 … So an Olympic bid is not on our cards now.”

Read Also: Hosting Commonwealth Games would boost SA’s economy by R20bn

The Durban bid had been seen as a potential springboard for another tilt at the much larger summer Olympics after Cape Town finished third in bidding for the 2004 Games. But on Tuesday, Los Angeles expressed an interest in hosting the 2024 Games, joining Paris, Rome, Budapest and Hamburg — with the successful bid to be confirmed in 2017.

The 2022 Games would therefore give SA at least two years to prepare a bid for the 2032 Olympics, presuming it sticks to their decision not to bid until after the Durban event is completed. “We do have another bid city (Cape Town) and we will open negotiations with them, but we do not believe we should build facilities for Games that we would find very hard to maintain afterwards,” Moemi added. “That would leave a very negative legacy.”

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