Egypt is planning to apply to host the 2036 Olympic Games, Sports Minister Ashraf Sobhi said on Saturday during a reception for International Olympic Committee President, Thomas Bach in Cairo.
Since the inaugural edition in 1896 in Athens, Greece, no African or Arab nation has hosted the major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years.
“President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi has given his permission for Egypt to put itself forward as host for the 2036 Olympics”, Sobhi said.
And Bach responded during a joint press conference with Sobhi: “Egypt has solid sporting infrastructures and if it can host the Olympic Games, it will be historic”.
An Egyptian official announced earlier in the month that Egypt, Greece and Saudi Arabia were in talks to jointly host the 2030 World Cup.
Egypt has singlehandedly staged Africa’s flagship football competition – the Cup of Nations – four times in 1974, 1986, 2006 and 2019 – and was host as United Arab Republic (the now defunct union between Egypt and Syria) in 1959.
Officially known as the Arab Republic of Egypt, it also hosted the 2021 World Men’s Handball Championship.
