Durban Wins Bid To Host IOC 2011

12 August, 2008

At the 120th session held in Beijing, the IOC decided that Durban would be given the right to host the 123rd session of the IOC.  Durban had been short listed with Hong Kong and won the bid by 67 votes to 22.  The fact that Durban reached the final stage is itself an important milestone and for that we should be proud, but to have been awarded the right to host the session is an incredible honour. 

The IOC sessions are not only important in that they are the highest decision-making structures of the Olympics movement, but they have huge spin-offs for the countries and host cities involved.  All members of the IOC are in attendance and high-level delegations (usually led by Heads of State) from candidate cities for forthcoming Olympic events are in attendance.  The 123rd session will, for example, decide on the 2018 Winter Olympics and will therefore attract delegations from 5 candidate cities.

Minister Stofile led the delegation and in his presentation he argued, “ No IOC General Assembly has ever been hosted on the African soil before. We want to use the 2011 Session as an opportunity to show the world the opportunities and possibilities that Africa can offer.” The 123rd session of the IOC will be held in 2011.  South Africa has never hosted a session of the IOC, the highest decision-making body of the IOC.  In 2004 we did bid for the conference to be held in Durban in 2007 and closely lost out to Guatemala.

“We want to show that Africa is a continent of hope and enthusiasm.  South Africa has an excellent infrastructure and an advanced technology and sophisticated business systems. Preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup are contributing tremendously to the upgrade of our facilities and organizing capacity. South Africa has successfully organized more than 15 mega-events since 1994.  Many of them have been held in Durban, and ALL of them have been incident-free.

Granting us the opportunity to host you in 2011 would reinforce our place as part of the family of sporting nations. Help us pay tribute to the legacy of all Great Olympic athletes from Africa. Assist us as we entrench the Olympic Spirit among our people. Allow us to expose the Olympic Committee members to the warmth and friendship of our people,” said Stofile.

In addition to Minister Stofile who led the delegation, Sam Ramsamy (Executive Board member of the IOC), Moss Mashishi (President: SASCOC), Mayor Mlaba, Dr. Michael Sutcliffe (City Manager), Julie-May Ellingson (Head: Strategic Projects and 2010) and Sue Bannister (Deputy Head: Strategic Projects) who have been preparing the bid for the past eight months.  Lerato Mogorosi was in attendance from the Minister’s office.  Minister Stofile and Sam Ramsamy made the presentations on our behalf.
 
Through hosting the 123rd IOC Session in 2011, South Africa would like to raise the awareness of our modern stadiums, world-class infrastructure, advanced technology, sophisticated business systems and proven organizational capacity. These showcase our city to the world and introduce tourists to our city as tourism is a major driving economic force in our city.

So Why Durban?

• Most Experienced conference and event city in Africa
• Excellent weather in June and July
• Accessible
• Safe
• Compact
• Our ICC has won numerous awards ranked in "Top Ten Convention Centres in the World"
• Proven track record unrivalled in Africa (Commonwealth Heads of Government, Meeting, XIIIth International AIDS, Conference, World Economic Forum, 16th World Congress of Family Doctors etc.)
• Excellent leisure opportunities – pristine beaches, wildlife, nature, nightlife, shopping.
• Significant number and variation of hotels and accommodation.

 

 

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