/ 4 May 2011

SA repeats intention to bid for Olympics

The president of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) has repeated the country’s intention to bid for the Summer Games and says the International Olympic Committee (IOC) session in July in Durban is a chance to impress.

Gideon Sam said on Wednesday that the July 4 to July 9 IOC meeting was “another opportunity to show world leaders in sport what we can put together in this country”.

Sam says South Africa intends to “one day” bid to host the Olympics but stops short of saying it would be the next available Summer Games, in 2020.

Following South Africa’s successful Fifa World Cup, Sascoc announced last year it would back Durban as its candidate for a bid in 2020, but then pulled back after other cities complained they weren’t properly consulted. — Sapa-AP