SASCOC to bid for 2036 and 2040 Olympic Games after cabinet green light

Hendricks revealed that hosting the Games will require a massive financial commitment, with costs running into billions, while even the bidding process itself will demand significant investment. 

In a bold and collaborative approach, Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Durban are expected to share hosting duties in what could become Africa’s first Olympic Games.

He added that SASCOC will soon begin formal engagements with the three cities as they prepare to submit bid documents to the International Olympic Committee in Switzerland.

The former Gauteng Sports Confederation president says South Africa is drawing inspiration from the multi-city model used in France during the previous Olympic Games, where responsibilities were shared to ease the burden on a single host city.

"If you look at what happened in Paris France, the games took place in Paris as well as a few cities outside of Paris and France, so it can be done because South Africa is relatively small.

"If one looks at the last Olympics, surfing took place at an island far far away so we are quite comfortable with the hybrid model."

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Hendricks says the race against time has already begun, with the deadline to submit the bid to the IOC set for June. SASCOC is now finalising a dedicated team that will drive the bidding process and ensure all requirements are met.

"We went to Lucern last year, we then got the go ahead and they informed us of the process and then we waited for the cabinet to approve, we've got that approval and now we are starting to put a team together.

Now serving his second term, Hendricks emphasised that government backing will be key, with the state expected to underwrite both the bid and the potential hosting costs. 

He reiterated that the price tag will run into billions, but the long-term legacy for the country and continent could be transformative.

South Africa will target one of two available slots — if the 2036 bid falls short, the focus will immediately shift to securing the 2040 Games.