S. Africa to bid for Commonwealth Games

JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - South Africa's sports federation wants to bid to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the group's chief said Thursday, after the government scrapped a proposal to wage an Olympics bid.

"Immediately after the announcement of where the 2018 Commonwealth Games will be, we'll go in for 2022," said Gideon Sam, head of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC).

"It's never been to Africa so we want to put in a bid," he added, according to the Sapa news agency.

Sam said South Africa could also bid for the 2017 World Games.

"We are also very strong on the World Games, which a number of people don't understand," he said.

"It's become very big and extremely well contested. I know there are many countries standing in the queue but, fortunately for us, we have support for 2017.

"But it's not going to be handed on a platter, we're going to have to do a bit of work and we've already started in Cape Town to work around it."

The World Games includes non-Olympic sports practised on land, in the air, and in the water.

Sam was speaking in Durban a month before the start of the 123rd International Olympic Committee session, where the hosts for the 2018 Winter Olympics will be announced.

Sam admitted to slight disappointment over the government's decision last week not to back a bid for the 2020 Olympics, which he had announced after South Africa successfully hosted the football World Cup last year.

"Remember when we started this whole process, we said that this is government. They can host it and not the national Olympic committee. So we were always cautious about running ahead of the whole process," he said.

Sport ministry spokesman Paena Galane said his department was unaware of the Olympic federation's intention to bid for the two events.

"At this moment I think it is a SASCOC internal matter. Once they are done with that process, they will have to write a letter to the minister who will then take it to cabinet for approval.

"However if they they come with the proposal to bid for the events we will encourage them."