South Africa names Durban as preferred bid city for 2036 or 2040 Olympics
South Africa's Olympic committee named Durban as its preferred host for a bid to bring the Olympics to Africa for the first time, targeting 2036 or 2040. Durban's failed 2022 Commonwealth Games hosting is part of the backdrop.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) unveiled Durban on Thursday 29 October as its preferred host city for a bid to bring the Olympics to Africa for the first time. CNAN “unveiled the coastal city of Durban as its preferred host to bring the Olympics to Africa for the first time” Read at CNA ↗ Al JazeeraLC “Durban is South Africa’s preferred candidate to host the first Olympics in Africa.” Read at Al Jazeera ↗ Centre · 1SASCOC acting president Lwandile Simelane said South Africa will bid for either the 2036 or the 2040 Games. CNAN “South Africa will bid for either the 2036 or 2040 Games, SASCOC acting president Lwandile Simelane told reporters on Thursday” Read at CNA ↗ Left · 1According to Al Jazeera, Simelane said Durban, South Africa's third-biggest city, would be the main candidate but the bid would likely be a "multi-city bid" with some events held in other cities; Johannesburg and Cape Town were also considered. Al JazeeraLC “it would likely be a “multi-city bid” that would propose a number of events to be held in other cities”“South Africa’s economic hubs of Johannesburg and Cape Town were also considered as candidate cities.” Read at Al Jazeera ↗
Centre · 1CNA reports that the South African government has backed the bid after the cabinet approved it. CNAN “The South African government has backed the bid after the cabinet approved it” Read at CNA ↗ Left · 1Officials said they could not yet estimate what staging the Games would cost, and that the Durban bid would be centred on the 56,000-seat Moses Mabhida Stadium, built for the 2010 football World Cup. Al JazeeraLC “Officials said on Thursday they were not yet able to provide any estimates of the cost to South Africa of staging the Olympics”“56,000-seat Moses Mabhida Stadium, which was built for the 2010 World Cup” Read at Al Jazeera ↗ Mixed · 2SASCOC will give presentations to the International Olympic Committee's Future Host Commission in November, with feasibility reviews concluding in March 2027 and a final host selection in 2029, according to CNA; Al Jazeera says the IOC will choose the 2036 host in mid-2029 and that its board is to approve a shortlist in March. CNAN “SASCOC will deliver presentations to the International Olympic Committee's Future Host Commission in November, with feasibility reviews concluding in March 2027 and a final host selection in 2029” Read at CNA ↗ Al JazeeraLC “The International Olympic Committee will choose the host city for 2036 in mid-2029.” Read at Al Jazeera ↗
Left · 1Al Jazeera says South Africa is one of seven countries bidding for 2036, alongside India, Qatar, South Korea, Germany, Hungary and Turkiye, and that the IOC set 31 October as the deadline for national committees to declare interest. Al JazeeraLC “South Africa is among seven countries bidding for the 2036 Games. The others are India, Qatar, South Korea, Germany, Hungary and Turkiye.”“The IOC gave October 31 as the deadline for national Olympic committees to formally declare their interest in bidding for the 2036 Games.” Read at Al Jazeera ↗ Mixed · 2Durban won the right to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games but lost it; CNA says the Commonwealth Games Federation stripped it in 2017 for failing to meet key obligations, and Al Jazeera says it could not make the required financial or other guarantees. CNAN “the Commonwealth Games Federation stripped it of the rights in 2017, citing a failure to meet key obligations” Read at CNA ↗ Al JazeeraLC “The city was stripped of hosting the 2022 Commonwealth Games because it could not make financial or other guarantees required for that event.” Read at Al Jazeera ↗ Left · 1Al Jazeera adds that Durban was floated as an Olympic host over a decade ago after the 2010 World Cup but no official bid followed, largely over cost concerns, and that South Africa previously failed with a Cape Town bid for the 2004 Games. Al JazeeraLC “But an official bid did not materialise then, largely due to concerns over costs.”“Africa’s biggest economy previously failed with a bid to stage the 2004 Games in Cape Town.” Read at Al Jazeera ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- Longer explainer placing the bid in a competitive and historical context, with attention to cost and past failures.
- Emphasis
- Cost uncertainty, rival bids, the multi-city idea, earlier failed bids, the Youth Olympics in Dakar.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention the cabinet's approval or the November presentations to the IOC's Future Host Commission.
- For example
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“Officials said on Thursday they were not yet able to provide any estimates of the cost to South Africa of staging the Olympics” — Al Jazeera
“South Africa is among seven countries bidding for the 2036 Games.” — Al Jazeera
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- Brief news item leading with the SASCOC announcement, government backing and the bidding timetable, with Durban's lost Commonwealth Games as a closing caution.
- Emphasis
- Cabinet approval, IOC process dates, the Commonwealth Games setback.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention cost estimates, rival bidders, the multi-city plan or the stadium.
- For example
-
“The South African government has backed the bid after the cabinet approved it” — CNA
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- SASCOC named Durban as South Africa's preferred host city on 29 October.
- The bid is for the 2036 or 2040 Games and would be the first Olympics in Africa.
- Durban lost the 2022 Commonwealth Games hosting rights.
Where accounts differ
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Why Durban lost the 2022 Commonwealth Games
- Left
- Al Jazeera: stripped because it could not make the financial or other guarantees required.
- Centre
- CNA: stripped in 2017 for failing to meet key obligations.
South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee organisation
SASCOC presents Durban as its preferred host, within a likely multi-city bid, for 2036 or 2040, with cabinet backing and no cost estimate yet.
“SASCOC acting president Lwandile Simelane told reporters on Thursday” — CNA
“Durban would be the main candidate city for South Africa’s bid” — Al Jazeera
Left1 article
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Olympic Games: South Africa bids to make Durban host city for 2036 or 2040
Neutral Contextual explainer covering rivals, costs, past failed bids and the stadium plan.
Centre1 article
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CNAN ·
South Africa unveils Durban as bid city for 2036 or 2040 Olympics
Neutral Concise bullet-style report of the announcement, government backing, timetable and Durban's Commonwealth Games history.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 29 Oct 10:29 First CNAN South Africa unveils Durban as bid city for 2036 or 2040 Olympics
- 29 Oct 11:57 +1h 27m Al JazeeraLC Olympic Games: South Africa bids to make Durban host city for 2036 or 2040
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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