Can South Africa afford to host the Olympic Games in 2036 or 2040 when public hospitals can barely stay afloat? That is the question raised in an opinion piece published by The Citizen, available at https://www.citizen.co.za/sport/opinion-south-africa-is-not-ready-to-host-the-olympic-games/, and it touches every citizen. Public services are under strain. Water and electricity problems have affected everyone. Children in public schools do not have enough desks or textbooks. Against that backdrop, the author asks whether a sporting spectacle, however cherished, can claim priority.
The love of the Olympics is real. The writer describes a career driven by that passion, focused on Olympic sport for much of it, including the privilege of attending two editions of the Games. South Africans would rally behind a winning bid. The country has repeatedly shown it can host major events well: the 1995 Rugby World Cup, the 2003 Cricket World Cup, the 2010 Fifa World Cup and the 2023 Netball World Cup were all handled with distinction.
The difficulty lies not in hospitality but in logistics. The Olympic Games carry demands far beyond what those tournaments required. Some sports, including football, would need to be staged around the country, and many facilities would need upgrading. Durban, as the prospective host city, would require a thorough overhaul. Public transport would have to be brought up to standard. An entire Olympic village would need to be built from scratch. Even Moses Mabhida Stadium, among the best sports facilities in the country, would need an expensive upgrade.
The state of the city’s sporting infrastructure is a particular concern for ordinary fans. At present, South Africa has no athletics track capable of hosting an event of this profile, so one would have to be installed at Moses Mabhida. The King’s Park Swimming Pool is in such poor condition that it would need to be rebuilt, unless a better solution is found. This matters because athletics and swimming are the most popular sports at the Games, and Durban currently lacks facilities able to host either code. Most events would be contested in Durban, and as the official host, the coastal city would have to be ready.
Beyond sport, the city would need public infrastructure to receive millions of tourists: to accommodate them, entertain them and present the city at its best. The resulting rise in tourism would be welcome for one of the country’s most underrated destinations, and hosting the Games would give Olympic sport in South Africa a significant boost. Yet the underlying question remains whether the benefits justify the cost.
What changed: the argument is not born of indifference, the author is careful to state. Perhaps, the piece concedes, within a few years the country will be in a better position to spend money on this scale, and the only recourse is hope. But until there is certainty that hundreds of billions of rands can responsibly be invested in a sports event, the suggestion is that attention should turn to other matters first. Right now the conclusion is blunt: there are more important priorities.