Durban has emerged as South Africa's candidate for the 2020 Olympics after three other cities failed to express interest.

The government is expected to rubber-stamp Durban's bid after Cape Town, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth failed to apply to the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee.

"We put our hand up and SASCOC has supported us, which is great," Durban city manager Mike Sutcliffe said.

"We believe we have the credentials. Now, it is a probability rather than a possibility of us bidding. We are very happy."

The host city for the 2020 Olympics will be announced in 2013 at the International Olympic Committee session in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Sutcliffe said Durban officials and SASCOC will meet with the government in the next month over the bid, which could bring the Olympics to Africa for the first time.

"The government would have to be involved. We couldn't do it on our own," he said.

"We will begin a process in the next three or four weeks where we will engage with the government over the nuts and bolts of the bid."

Sutcliffe said the country's third largest city, situated on the east coast, was considering some of the "implications" of bidding.

Durban will almost certainly receive the go-ahead after South Africa President Jacob Zuma publicly endorsed an Olympic bid earlier this year, and IOC president Jacques Rogge said his organisation would welcome a bid from the African country.

South Africa believes its chances have been boosted after its successful staging of Africa's first World Cup in June and July. Durban was one of the tournament's host cities.

Inspired by the success of the football tournament, SASCOC announced two days after the World Cup final that the country would bid for the Olympics. South Africa has previously bid for the Olympic Games. Cape Town missed out in 2004, finishing third behind winner Athens and Rome.

Durban has a chance to impress voters when it hosts the IOC session next year. After that meeting, the IOC will formally invite bids for 2020.

So far, only Rome has declared its intention to bid for 2020. Tokyo, Istanbul and Dubai are among other possible candidates.

Sutcliffe said Durban would centre its bid on Moses Mabhida Stadium, which was built for the World Cup and could easily be converted into an 85,000-seat athletics venue.

"We built the Moses Mabhida according to the Olympic code, as well as for the World Cup," Sutcliffe said, hinting that an Olympic bid had been part of Durban's long-term plans.

Gerald Imray
AP