South Africa Announces 2024 Olympic Bid
South African sports minister Fikile Mbabula signaled a "major shift in policy" for the country, announcing South Africa will bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics and possibly the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Business Day quoted Mbabula Tuesday as saying, "The biggest fish to catch is the 2024 Olympics."
Mbabula added that South African president Jacob Zuma had already indicated the country was "ready to host the Games."
Cape Town, South Africa most recently bid for the 2004 Olympics, losing to Athens. No African country has hosted the Olympics.
South Africa hosted the soccer 2010 FIFA World Cup, spending "more than $3 billion in infrastructure costs."
Bidding for the 2024 Olympics will begin in 2015 with a decision coming at the 2017 IOC Session.
Journalist Killed in Rio Protests
A television news cameraman injured while reporting on protests in Brazil has been declared brain dead.
Santiago Andrade, 49, was struck in the head by a flare during protests related to the upcoming World Cup and Summer Olympics.
"My husband is gone," said his wife in a TV interview. "They have destroyed a solid family."
The protests stemmed from an increase in bus fares in Rio de Janeiro. The city has poured billions of dollars into hosting the two sporting events at a time when infrastructure and public services have lagged.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff took to Twitter to decry the violence.
"It is unacceptable that democratic protests are taken over by those who have no respect for human lives," Rousseff said.
Two protesters have been arrested in connection with the incident.
Homepage photo from Getty Images
Written byNicole Bennettand Nick Devlin
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