South Africa joins race for 2036 Olympics, chasing Africa's first Summer Games
South Africa wants the 2036 Summer Olympics.
The International Olympic Committee has confirmed South African interest in staging the Games. If the bid succeeds, South Africa would become the first African host of the Summer Olympics BBC Sport.
That is why this matters. The Summer Games have never been held in Africa. A successful bid would take track finals, marathon finishes and field events to a continent that has shaped distance running for decades.
South Africa is one of seven countries in what the IOC calls "continuous dialogue" about hosting. That phrase means early, non-binding talks before any formal bid. The others are Hungary, India, Qatar and Turkey, all chasing a first Summer Games, plus Germany and South Korea, both former hosts.
The IOC has set out a clear timetable. National committees must lodge stated interest by 31 October. Interested parties will then give virtual presentations to the IOC's future host commission in November, with feasibility assessments to follow by March 2027. After that stage, committees enter strategic dialogue with the IOC.
South Africa's early proposal spreads the Games across Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg rather than naming one host city. India's bid centres on Ahmedabad, which will also welcome the Commonwealth Games in 2030. Hungary has put forward Budapest, and Qatar has put forward Doha.
Turkey has nominated Istanbul. The city bid unsuccessfully for the 2000, 2008 and 2020 Games. Germany is bidding with Munich, having previously hosted in Berlin in 1936 and Munich in 1972. South Korea's bid pairs Seoul, host in 1988, with North Jeolla province.
Los Angeles will stage the 2028 Games, followed by Brisbane in 2032, so 2036 is the next Summer edition available. Africa will get its first taste of Olympic competition sooner, when Dakar in Senegal stages the Summer Youth Olympic Games from 31 October to 13 November 2026. That event will be the first Olympic sporting event staged in Africa.
African interest in the senior Games is not new. Egypt's Olympic authorities had planned a 2036 bid and said it was "time for Africa", while South Africa previously weighed a bid for 2020. In 2010, then IOC president Jacques Rogge said he wanted a credible African candidate for those 2020 Games.
What makes this stand out is the depth of the field. Seven names this early means a long race with cuts still to come, and athletics sits at the centre of it. Whoever wins will need a fast track, a loud stadium and a marathon course the world remembers.
