No Bid from South Africa for 2020 Olympics; Doha Still Pondering Bid

(ATR) After months of speculation, the South African sports ministry confirms exclusively to Around the Rings that the country will not be bidding for the 2020 Olympics... Still no word on a possible bid from Doha.

Guardar
BLOEMFONTEIN, SOUTH AFRICA - JUNE 22: South Africa fans fly the national flag as they enjoy the atmosphere prior to the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Group A match between France and South Africa at the Free State Stadium on June 22, 2010 in Mangaung/Bloemfontein, South Africa.  (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
BLOEMFONTEIN, SOUTH AFRICA - JUNE 22: South Africa fans fly the national flag as they enjoy the atmosphere prior to the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Group A match between France and South Africa at the Free State Stadium on June 22, 2010 in Mangaung/Bloemfontein, South Africa. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

(ATR) After months of speculation, the South African sports ministry confirms exclusively to Around the Rings that the country will not be bidding for the 2020 Olympics.

"We are not putting it [back]on the table. South Africa is not bidding for the 2020 Olympics," Paena Galane, a spokesman for sports minister Fikile Mbalula told ATR Wednesday.

Galane said there would be no reversal of the South African government's decision in May to sit out a bid for 2020.

"That position still stands. The 2020 issue has been closed," he added.

The South African Olympic Committee had held out slender hopes that the issue would be discussed at a Cabinet meeting today. NOC chiefs had accepted the government's earlier decision but thought that Mbalula might have reignited bid talks.

But Galane told ATR: "There is no Cabinet discussion on the 2020 Olympics this week. It is not going to be on any agenda."

Confirmation of the government's decision is a major blow to the South African Olympic Committee, which had been keen to launch a campaign to secure the Olympics on the heels of a successful IOC Session in Durban and the widely acclaimed 2010 FIFA World Cup. Durban was considered to be South Africa's strongest bid city prospect.

It's also a blow to IOC president Jacques Rogge who had hoped that South Africa would expand the 2020 bidding field, which includes only Istanbul, Madrid, Rome and Tokyo. Qatar has yet to announce whether there will be a bid from Doha.

NOC chief executive Tubby Reddy expressed disappointment after hearing that the government would not be revisiting the 2020 bid proposal.

"If they are sticking by their decision, there is not much we can do," he told ATR Wednesday.

In May, South Africa’s government balked on a bid because of the associated $50 million price tag. Instead, the government said it wanted to focus on delivering services to South Africans.

Asked whether a 2024 bid was possible, Reddy said: "It is still up to the government whether they are going to revisit it."

Doha Quiet on 2020 Bid

Still no word from the Qatar Olympic Committee on whether Doha will mount a second Olympic bid following its failed attempt to secure the 2016 Games.

With 15 days until the IOC's Sept. 1 deadline for NOCs to nominate applicant cities, a decision rests with the Gulf state's government and is expected very soon.

Reported by Mark Bisson

Guardar

Últimas Noticias

Utah’s Olympic venues an integral part of the equation as Salt Lake City seeks a Winter Games encore

Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation chief of sport development Luke Bodensteiner says there is a “real urgency to make this happen in 2030”. He discusses the mission of the non-profit organization, the legacy from the 2002 Winter Games and future ambitions.
Utah’s Olympic venues an integral part of the equation as Salt Lake City seeks a Winter Games encore

IOC president tells Olympic Movement “we will again have safe and secure Olympic Games” in Beijing

Thomas Bach, in an open letter on Friday, also thanked stakeholders for their “unprecedented” efforts to make Tokyo 2020 a success despite the pandemic.
IOC president tells Olympic Movement “we will again have safe and secure Olympic Games” in Beijing

Boxing’s place in the Olympics remains in peril as IOC still unhappy with the state of AIBA’s reform efforts

The IOC says issues concerning governance, finance, and refereeing and judging must be sorted out to its satisfaction. AIBA says it’s confident that will happen and the federation will be reinstated.
Boxing’s place in the Olympics remains in peril as IOC still unhappy with the state of AIBA’s reform efforts

IOC president details Olympic community efforts to get Afghans out of danger after Taliban return to power

Thomas Bach says the Afghanistan NOC remains under IOC recognition, noting that the current leadership was democratically elected in 2019. But he says the IOC will be monitoring what happens in the future. The story had been revealed on August 31 in an article by Miguel Hernandez in Around the Rings
IOC president details Olympic community efforts to get Afghans out of danger after Taliban return to power

North Korea suspended by IOC for failing to participate in Tokyo though its athletes could still take part in Beijing 2022

Playbooks for Beijing 2022 will ”most likely” be released in October, according to IOC President Thomas Bach.
North Korea suspended by IOC for failing to participate in Tokyo though its athletes could still take part in Beijing 2022