Africa joins long list of Olympic host hopefuls

Add Cairo to the growing list of cities hoping to bid for the 2036 Olympics. Egyptian Minister for Youth and Sport Ashraf Sobhi disclosed this past weekend in a TV interview that preparations are being made to launch a 2036 bid.

“We are currently preparing an official application to send to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). For now, we are making sure that all aspects are covered, in order to keep our chances high,” he told Sky TV Arabia.

Veteran African sports leader Sam Ramsamy of South Africa tells Around the Rings he is pleased to hear of Egypt’s interest.

“This is superb news that Egypt intends bidding for 2036. Africa, including me, would back it to the hilt,” says Ramsamy. Now an honorary IOC member, Ramsamy served for 20 years, including a stint leading the South African National Olympic Committee.

With the Summer Games set through 2032 in Brisbane, Australia, 2036 is the next to be selected. The IOC has not indicated when that will take place, but a decision is not expected for at least two years to come. More immediately, the IOC is sorting contenders for the 2030 and 2034 Olympic Winter Games, a choice that could be made in the next year.

The expression of interest from Egypt means a burgeoning list of contenders to consider for 2036 and beyond. Already in the hunt: India, Indonesia, Qatar, Hungary and Germany. Last week Russian president Vladimir Putin said Russia will want to host another Olympics. St. Petersburg has been mentioned as one possibility along with Kazan.

The selection of a 2036 host city is subject to a new process adopted by the IOC that led to the decision last year to award the 2032 Summer Games to Brisbane.

Instead of a public campaign for the Games, an IOC commission held ongoing consultations with several potential hosts. The discussions led to Brisbane as the consensus choice, confirmed in a vote at the IOC Session held in Tokyo last July.

Under the new IOC selection process, Egyptian sports leaders would soon open talks with IOC experts and the IOC Future Games Commission. The chair is Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, an IOC member since 2020, and the former president of Croatia. She will organize and lead the dialog that will eventually result in a nomination.

As was the case for the Brisbane candidacy, the IOC commission is expected to signal its preferences well before the IOC vote to confirm. Brisbane was named the favorite last February, six months ahead of the IOC confirmation in Tokyo.

So far, Egypt is the only declared contender from Africa. Past bids from the continent have included Alexandria 100 years ago and Cairo for 1936. Cape Town bid for 2004. Dakar, Senegal will host the 2026 Youth Olympic Games, the first IOC sanctioned sports event to be held in Africa.

A new sports complex 50km south of Cairo would figure into the bid from Egypt. The site includes an aquatics center and stadium.

“Egypt does have superb sports facilities and these could be the basis for 2036,” says Ramsamy.

“So, in the meantime our support is with Egypt. I am certain that Africa will not put forward two bids for 2036,” suggesting that South Africa may not try another bid.

In an interview in November, IOC President Thomas Bach said he could see an Olympics in the future for Africa, if not for 2036 then for 2040.