For more than a century, the Olympic Games have travelled across continents, leaving behind stadiums, records, unforgettable ceremonies and moments that become part of sporting history.
Yet one continent has continued to wait.
Africa has never hosted a Summer Olympic Games.
That could change in 2036, with South Africa emerging as one of the countries considering a bid to stage the global sporting spectacle.
The possibility would represent far more than another Olympic hosting race. If successful, South Africa would become the first African nation to host the Summer Olympics, potentially turning the 2036 Games into a landmark moment for the continent.
The International Olympic Committee has confirmed that South Africa is among seven national Olympic committees currently engaged in what it describes as “continuous dialogue” over potential bids for the 2036 Games.
The country faces competition from Hungary, India, Qatar, Turkey, Germany and South Korea, as the race begins to take shape.
A historic opportunity for Africa
South Africa’s interest arrives with an obvious question hanging over the Olympic movement: after decades of hosting Games across Europe, Asia, North America, South America and Oceania, when will Africa finally get its turn?
The continent has hosted major international sporting events, including the FIFA World Cup, Commonwealth Games and African Games.
South Africa itself hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup, becoming the first African country to stage football’s biggest tournament.
But the Olympics remain an entirely different prize.
The Summer Games bring together thousands of athletes from around the world and attract global audiences measured in billions.
A successful South African bid would therefore carry enormous symbolic significance, not only for the country but for African sport as a whole.
Three South African cities at the centre of the proposal
South Africa’s proposal would take a different approach from the traditional model of concentrating Olympic events around one host city.
The potential bid would spread the Games across Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg, three of the country’s most prominent urban centres.
Each city would bring its own identity and infrastructure to the proposed Olympic project.
Cape Town offers an internationally recognised tourism profile and established sporting facilities. Johannesburg is South Africa’s economic powerhouse, while Durban has extensive experience hosting major sporting and international events.
The inclusion of Durban is particularly interesting.
The city had been scheduled to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games but withdrew from the process in 2017 after financial difficulties made the project unsustainable.
An Olympic bid would represent a dramatically bigger challenge — and potentially an opportunity for the city to return to the centre of global sport.
Seven countries in the early race
South Africa is not alone in seeing 2036 as an opportunity to make history.
The IOC says seven countries are currently involved in continuous dialogue concerning possible bids.
Hungary, India, Qatar and Turkey are seeking to become first-time Olympic hosts, while Germany and South Korea are considering bringing the Games back to countries that have previously staged them.
India’s proposed host city is Ahmedabad, which is scheduled to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and has also expressed interest in the 2038 Asian Games.
Hungary has nominated Budapest, while Qatar is proposing Doha and Turkey has put forward Istanbul.
Germany’s proposal centres on Munich, which previously hosted the 1972 Olympics.
South Korea’s potential bid involves Seoul and North Jeolla. Seoul has already staged the Games, hosting the 1988 Olympics.
Istanbul, meanwhile, is no stranger to the Olympic dream. The Turkish city has previously submitted unsuccessful bids for the 2000, 2008 and 2020 Games and is scheduled to host the 2027 European Games.
The road to 2036
For now, none of the interested countries can claim the Games.
The process is still at an early stage.
National Olympic committees interested in hosting the 2036 Olympics have until October 31 to formally submit their stated interest.
The next stage will see the candidates make virtual presentations to the IOC’s Future Host Commission in November.
The IOC plans to complete feasibility assessments by March 2027.
After that, the interested Olympic committees will enter a more detailed strategic dialogue with the IOC as the organisation moves towards selecting a host.
In other words, South Africa’s historic ambition is only at the starting line.
Africa’s Olympic wait
The significance of a potential South African victory extends beyond the sporting calendar.
Africa has produced some of the world’s greatest Olympic athletes across athletics, boxing, swimming, distance running and other disciplines.
Kenya and Ethiopia have built legendary reputations in long-distance running. South Africa has produced Olympic champions across multiple sports, while athletes from Nigeria, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt and other African nations have repeatedly stood on Olympic podiums.
The athletes have been there.
The fans have been there.
The talent has never been in question.
What Africa has not had is the opportunity to welcome the entire Olympic movement onto its soil for a Summer Games.
That is what makes South Africa’s 2036 ambition particularly compelling.
The competition is already looking beyond 2036
The Olympic conversation is also moving beyond the immediate contest.
The IOC said other national Olympic committees are already holding non-committal discussions about potentially hosting Olympic Games after 2036.
The United Kingdom, for instance, said in May that its government was discussing support for possible bids to host the Olympics and Paralympics in the 2040s.
Meanwhile, the next two Summer Olympics are already settled.
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Los Angeles will host the 2028 Games before Brisbane stages the 2032 Olympics.
The 2036 Games, however, remain wide open.
And that is where South Africa sees an opportunity.
More than a bid
For South Africa, the question is no longer simply whether it can host another major sporting event.
The bigger question is whether it can convince the Olympic movement that Africa is ready to take centre stage.
A successful bid would place Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg at the heart of the sporting world and give millions of Africans an Olympic experience on their own continent.
It would also erase a long-standing geographical omission from the history of the Summer Games.
The road to 2036 is still long, and South Africa faces strong competition.
But for the first time, the possibility of seeing the Olympic rings rise over an African host nation is no longer just an idea.
It is becoming a serious possibility.