South African officials picked Durban as its primary bid city as it hopes to host the first Olympics and Paralympics in Africa in 2036 or 2040.
The three largest cities in South Africa all expressed interest — Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.
Though Durban is the hub of the bid, other cities in South Africa could also hold events.
The next step is for South African officials to give a presentation to the IOC Future Host Commission at the end of November. The IOC announced on Oct. 7 that seven countries were “interested parties” to host the 2036 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, the next Games looking for a host.
Germany, Hungary, India, Qatar, South Korea, South Africa and Türkiye were in “continuous dialogue with a stated interest in hosting the 2036 Olympic Games.”
Other parties have until the end of October to express interest.
In March 2027, the IOC Executive Board plans to open strategic dialogue with shortlisted interested parties.
The host will be chosen in mid-2029 with the IOC returning to choosing a Summer Games host seven years out.
The next two Summer Games will be in Los Angeles in 2028 and Brisbane, Australia, in 2032.
Durban was awarded the 2022 Commonwealth Games in 2015, but in 2017 was stripped as host for failing to meet commitments, including financial ones. Durban would have been the first African host of that event.
The Youth Olympics in Dakar, Senegal, that started Saturday will be the first Olympic event held on the African continent.
