Kenya to bid for 2024 Olympics

[Sir john]

Kenya will bid to become the first African nation to host the Olympic Games in 2024, Raila Odinga, the country's prime minister, has said. Speaking to the FT in London, Mr Odinga said sub-Saharan Africa's time to host the games had come. The region's trillion-dollar economy was set to boom over the next decade, he said, and for Kenya, east Africa's leading economy, hosting the Olympics would bring a psychological boost as well as "enormous benefits" in terms of investment in infrastructure. "Kenya had the confidence as far back as 1968 to consider bidding for the Olympics," he said. But in 2004, when the idea was raised again, local newspapers scoffed, illustrating the drift Kenya experienced after the heady days of independence in 1963. "That is the spirit we need to recapture. We need to bring back that confidence and say we can do it. It is necessary to take a look back at where are coming from and where we want to go, because we have been drifting for too long," he said, alluding to the decades of stagnation and misrule under the autocratic Daniel Arap Moi. Mr Odinga, who shares power in a coalition government forged after violence surrounding the 2007 presidential elections, leads opinion polls again in what promises to be an unusual poll next March. Two rival candidates, including the son of former independence leader Jomo Kenyatta, remain in the race despite having been charged by the International Criminal Court with crimes against humanity. A Kenyan bid would be welcomed by the International Olympic Committee but early indications are it would face stiff competition. The IOC is expecting a strong pitch from US cities, including New York and San Francisco, now that a long-standing disagreement over the division of television and sponsorship revenues has been settled. Durban is also a possible 2024 bidder after Jacques Rogge, the IOC president, said he would love to have seen an African bid for the 2020 games. Other countries thinking about bidding for 2024 include Argentina, Morocco and Egypt. A new bid from Doha, ejected from the 2020 race over scheduling concerns, is expected. The IOC said it was not aware of Kenya's interest but added: "The [iOC] president has made it absolutely clear that we would love a good bid from Africa." The shortlist for the 2020 race is made up of Istanbul, Tokyo and Madrid. With seven medals already in the bag at the London Olympics, including one gold for Ezekiel Kemboi in the 3,000m steeplechase and another for David Lekuta Rudisha in the 800m in a world record time, and with hopes high for Sunday's marathon, Kenya is poised to rival South Africa as the most successful African country at the London games. Asked how he would sell the project, likely to cost as much as $15bn, to Kenyans, Mr Odinga pointed to the renaissance that cities such as Tokyo, Seoul, Atlanta and Mexico City had received when they hosted the games.

[Sir john]

Cape Town in South Africa reached the final bid stage in 2004 while Cairo in Egypt expressed interest for the 2008 Games, but no African country yet been given the honour fo hosting an Olympics. However, Mr Odinga says hosting the Olympics would bring a psychological boost as well as "enormous benefits" for Kenya from investment in infrastructure. "Kenya had the confidence as far back as 1968 to consider bidding for the Olympics," he told the FInancial Times. "That is the spirit we need to recapture. We need to bring back that confidence and say we can do it. It is necessary to take a look back at where we are coming from and where we want to go, because we have been drifting for too long." A Kenyan bid is sure to be welcomed by the International Olympic Committee as it looks to spread the Games to all continents, with Brazil's Rio de Janeiro set to play host to South America's first ever Olympics in 2016. Early indications suggest any Kenyan bid would face stiff competition from US cities, including New York and San Francisco, while other countries thinking about bidding for 2024 include Argentina, Morocco and Egypt. Durban is also a possible 2024 bidder after Jacques Rogge, the IOC president, said he would like to have seen an African country bid for the 2020 Games. The shortlist for the 2020 Olympics consists of Istanbul, Tokyo and Madrid. The IOC said it was not aware of KenyaÃÔ interest but added: "The [iOC] president has made it absolutely clear that we would love a good bid from Africa." Kenya currently sits 27th in the London 2012 medal table with seven medals including golds for Ezekiel Kemboi in the 3,000m steeplechase and David Rudisha in the 800m.

[akshayxyz]

abey koi isko kenya mein deport karo.

[b555]

:wall:

[panesarv]

Lololol

[b555]

epic . this is epic.

[Sidhoni]

:hahaha:

[exams]

abey india kab karega??/,,ye isaaley developed world waley hi karatey rahengey??..kenya you can not host olympics even in 2050

[Trichromatic]

SJ to apply for Kenyan citizenship.

[EnterTheVoid]

Koi shoot karo is Sir John saale ko :mad:

[Sid]

:peter:

[WC2011INDIA]

and do a better job than India would ever do.

[gaurav92]

:peter: Kenya will never ever host an olympic.They can only export their country players to several parts of the world, that is it.SJ you can move to Kenya and ask them to do it. You can always give away your ICF$, that will certainly help their cause.

[Sir john]

Kenya will win inshahallah

[MarkusB]

Instead of wasting money for the preparation, why don't use the funds to improve infrastructures and and develop transportation system and promote health.

[Crookbond]

:facepalm: