Will Cape Town Bid to Host the Olympics in 2040?

Study into feasibility of Cape Town hosting the Olympics

Did you know that Cape Town might host the Olympics? If successful, it would be the first city in Africa ever to host these prestigious Games.

Cape Town 2040 (CT2040) is a research group tasked with exploring the potential of Cape Town and the Western Cape as hosts for the 2040 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. Its latest report shows that the Western Cape is already in a position to offer a remarkable 84% of the venues required.

Venues included in the province-wide audit included Cape Town Stadium, Hartleyvale Hockey Stadium, Newlands Swimming Pool, Athlone Swimming Pool, Sea Point Swimming Pool, Bellville Velodrome, Nantes Park, Boland Park, Newlands Cricket Ground, CTICC, Athlone Stadium, Stellenbosch University’s Coetzenberg campus, the Waterfront and more.

Potential venues considered

Some of these venues are already earmarked for improvements over the next few years, and while some would of course require major upgrades, the most would only require temporary works in order to meet the stringent requirements of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Additionally to the sporting venues, a host city requires the infrastructure to support its bid. This is includes not only transport, but also an ‘Olympic Village’ housing +/- 14 000 athletes and staff, and hospitality options for upwards of 15 million visitors. It is also vital to establish a roadmap for the use of such facilities after the event.

CT2040 is spearheaded by Guy Briggs, Partner & Executive Director at dhk Architects as well as the urban design principal, and Rashiq Fataar, CEO of Our Future Cities. Fataar states the group is driven by a quest for “sustainability, inclusivity, and innovation”.

“Our mission,” he says, “is to assess the readiness and capacity of Cape Town and the Western Cape to host the Games, with a keen focus on how the event can catalyse sustainable development, enhance resilience, and foster greater integration across the city and region. We believe that the Games can be a powerful driver for positive change, aligning with and accelerating future investments in the region.”