/ 17 August 2011

SA abandons pursuit of 2020 Olympics

Sa Abandons Pursuit Of 2020 Olympics

The sports ministry says it will not ask the government to reconsider a bid for the 2020 Olympics, ending a long-running saga over whether the country will try to host the next available Summer Games.

Sports ministry spokesperson Paena Galane said: “There will be no bid from South Africa for the 2020 Olympics.”

Galane said Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula had considered asking the government to reconsider a bid after South Africa’s hosting of the International Olympic Committee session in Durban in July.

The government initially decided against a 2020 bid in May.

Galane said on Wednesday that the sports ministry had decided it was “not going to resubmit the request to bid.” — Sapa-AP