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South Africa to Bid for 2020 Olympics

The announcement was made by the South African Olympic committee chairman in a joint media briefing with the IOC president. A day after the World Cup final, the president of South Africa's Olympic Committee, Tubby Reddy, announced the committee will consult with the government on the possibility of trying to host the first Olympics in Africa. The bid for the Olympics is regarded as a way of maintaining South Africa's new international profile and of maximising the investment they made in hosting the 2010 World Cup. South Africa poured five billion dollars (four billion euros) into the first World Cup in Africa and largely overcame fears about crime and poor transportation, hosting a widely applauded tournament.

"We have decided that the way forward would be to engage government and key stakeholders on the way forward, but our intention is to provide a world-class city capable of hosting Africa’s first Olympic Games in 2020," said Reddy. Reddy's statement follows South Africa President Jacob Zuma's public declaration that South Africa would like to bid for an Olympics. “For our eyes to be on 2020, we are not weary,” Zuma said during a television address in Johannesburg, “because we have the facilities.”

The move has already received the nod from International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge who said he would be glad if a South African city made a host bid. Rogge said the country's hosting of Africa's first World Cup, which ended in Johannesburg on Sunday, was an “outstanding success.” “From the start, when South Africa was named as World Cup hosts, we all knew the country would be able to organize the tournament,” Rogge said.

He said South Africa had also already successfully staged the All Africa Games in 1999, the 1995 Rugby World Cup and a string of major cricket tournaments. He added that “now it is up to you as a nation to decide if you want to host this event.”

Like the World Cup, South Africa failed in its first attempt to host the Olympics when Cape Town bid unsuccessfully for the 2004 Games. Athens won the vote, with Cape Town finishing third behind Rome. The IOC's decision on the host for the 2020 Olympics will be made in 2013, but preliminary bids must be submitted next year. Rome is the only city to formally announce it will bid for the 2020 Games. Durban, which is South Africa's third largest city, will have a chance to impress Olympic officials when it hosts the 123rd IOC session in July 2011 where the host for the 2018 Winter Olympics will be announced.

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