Olympic Games 2036: Bidders Egypt say 'it is time for Africa'
Egypt's National Olympic Committee (NOC) says "it is time for Africa" as it tries to become the first country on the continent to host the Olympic Games.
On 24 September, Egypt President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi gave governmental backing to a possible bid while International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach was visiting the country.
"We're preparing the letter to [the] IOC, with our intention to present a bid for the 2036 Olympic Games," NOC secretary general Sharif El Erian told BBC Sport Africa.
"It's time for Africa. It's the only continent that did not host the Summer Olympic Games, and I think Egypt is one of the few countries in Africa where the infrastructure is ready from today to host such a huge event."
A statement issued by the Egyptian cabinet said that IOC president Bach had "asserted that Egypt's sporting infrastructure gives it an opportunity to host the 2036 Olympic Games".
A guest of the country's sports ministry, Bach had been visiting the 92-acre complex that will be named the Olympic City, to be built in the so-called New Administrative Capital currently under construction some 40 kilometres east of the existing capital Cairo.
Work on the Olympic Stadium, which started in 2019 and which will be Africa's second biggest sports stadium, is at an advanced stage, with El Erian saying that many facilities are already ready to go.
"The only thing that needs to be built is the Olympic Village, but winning the bid comes more than seven years before the actual Games," explained El Erian.
"So if we do win the bid, we have enough time to build a state-of-the-art Olympic Village."
Egypt, which has hosted several continental and global events such as the Africa Cup of Nations and World Handball Championship in recent years, had been considering a bid for the 2032 Games.
Yet Brisbane was announced as host last year before any Egyptian intention had been made, with organisers less keen after the coronavirus pandemic delayed a proposed visit by Bach to the north African nation originally set for 2020.
"We know that we have to act now," El Erian said, even though the formal bidding process is still some years away from beginning.
"We know we have competition from five to six other countries who have put their intention that they would also love to host, but we are confident that our bid will be one of the strongest."
Other countries with cities reported to be interested in hosting the 2036 Games are Germany, India, Mexico, Qatar, Turkey and Russia.