National News
Rogge keen on SA Olympic bid
2010-06-23 22:13
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Lausanne - Olympic chief Jacques Rogge said on Wednesday that he would be glad if a South African city made a bid to host the Olympic Games after football's World Cup is over.
"I think it's absolutely normal that they think of the future; what next after the FIFA World Cup?" the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) told journalists.
"So we're glad that they're thinking about the Olympic Games. I will definitely take this up with the president when I meet him at the FIFA World Cup final."
Rogge is due to meet South African President Jacob Zuma when he flies to the country for the final, which will take place in Johannesburg on July 11.
The IOC chief underlined that Cape Town had made a "credible" and "very good" bid in 1997 to become the first African host of the Olympic Games, in 2004, before South Africa focused on staging football's top event.
The race to stage the 2020 Olympic Games is set to open next year, with the deadline for the submission of applications to the IOC falling in 2013.
Rome was recently chosen by the Italian National Olympic Committee as its bidder, while Istanbul has reportedly been preparing a bid.
The 2016 Olympics are due to be held in Rio de Janeiro, the first time that the games are being staged in South America.