South Africa Pauses 2036 Summer Olympic Games Bid

by Retta Race 4

July 09th, 2025 Africa, International, News

The 2036 Summer Olympic Games have one less bidder as the nation of South Africa has officially paused its hosting campaign.

As told to SABC Sport this week, South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) president Barry Hendricks indicated that the country’s Olympic body is now focusing on smaller sporting events, such as the World Volleyball Championships, as it prepares its 2040 proposal. (InsidetheGames.biz)

“We’ve not been able to get cabinet approval through the Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture, so we’re putting the bid on hold for now, Hendricks said.

“Instead, we are looking toward 2040. We also need to focus on attracting other events to encourage international organisations to bring their competitions to South Africa.” (InsidetheGames.biz)

The nations that remain in the running for a confirmed potential 2036 Summer Olympic Games bid include the following:

  • Nusantara, Indonesia
  • Istanbul, Turkey
  • Ahmedabad, India
  • Santiago, Chile

SASCOC plans to target both youth and senior editions of the Commonwealth Games in 2030 as a stepping stone before launching a serious Olympic bid for 2040.

“We’re already learning about the inner workings of the International Olympic Committee and the process of formalising a bid. If we can test ourselves with the Commonwealth Youth Games first, then we can start aiming for bigger events,” Hendricks said at last month’s Johannesburg meeting. “(InsidetheGames.biz)

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Brett Redelinghuys
10 months ago

Please don’t let South Africa bid. The politicians and their families will steal us blind like they did in 2010 World Cup. 2 or 3 times the cost while the average human is broke and can’t afford to live.

bubo
11 months ago

2040 sounds insane until you realize that it’s less time than between Beijing and present day.

colorado mesa #1 fan
11 months ago

nusantara will not fully exist until 2035-2040 I think

colorado mesa #1 fan
Reply to  colorado mesa #1 fan
11 months ago

specifically phase 3 which is what an actual city needs

About Retta Race

Former Masters swimmer and coach Loretta (Retta) thrives on a non-stop but productive schedule. Nowadays, that includes having earned her MBA while working full-time in IT while owning French 75 Boutique while also providing swimming insight for BBC.

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