CAPE TOWN 2016 SPORTS CONCEPT
Cape Town proposes Games with 18 competition venues within 15 minutes travel time of the Olympic Village providing minimum
travel times for approximately more than half of all athletes. The concept is based around the location of the Olympic Stadium
at Green Point, the juncture between Table Mountain and the Atlantic Ocean, providing a spectacular backdrop to the Games.
This venue will be supplement by other venues at Green Point forming the Olympic Park. These will be supported by stand-alone
venues in the Cape Town and Stellenbosch regions as well as existing venues for football in other cities across South Africa.
Over 50% of competition venues needed for the Games already exist, are under construction or are planned irrespective
of the Games. Cape Town proposes the use of 4 large temporary arenas which will be relocated after the games and prevent white
elephants after the games.
The centrepiece of Cape Town's proposal is the Green Point Olympic Park (7 competition venues to host Athletics, Handball,
Wrestling, Aquatic Events, Tennis,Marathon and Walk finish, Triatlon and Whitewater Slalom), to be constructed in and around
the existing African Rennaisance Park and is well located with respect to other venues. The Olympic Park will also include
a 16,000-seat planned Aquatic Centre and two temporary arenas. The park is located just less than 2 minutes using Olympic
Transport from the City Centre and Cape Town Centre Station. It is linked the N1 national road which places the Olympic Park
within 2 minutes of the City Zone and within 15 minutes of most othervenues across Cape Town using Olympic Lanes.
The City Zone (3 competition venues / 5 sports) includes the Cape Town International Convention Centre, the Good Hope
Centre and the Cape Town Exhibition Centre.
Other stand-alone competition venues for a further 20 sports/disciplines (in some cases at locations with great historical
significance) are well located, with very good road and rail access and includes the Newlands Sports Cluster with well known
venues such as the Newlands Cricket and Rugby Stadiums.
The furthest venues from the Olympic Village are rowing and canoe kayak at Zeekoevlei (40 km/35 minutes from the Olympic
Village), Sailing which would be held at Simons Town (52km/ 50 minutes from the Olympic Village and Atlantis (50km/60min).
In addition to the proposed Athlone Stadium and Newlands Rugby Stadium in Cape Town, football would be played at 5 existing
stadia across South Africa with travel distances ranging from 231 km to 900 km. The football cities will be well served by
rail and road services and matches in these cities will be well supported.
Construction of new permanent venues is scheduled to begin in 2009 and end in September 2015, with a detailed construction
timetable already in place. In addition, 2 of the 4 temporary halls would be constructed in 2014 to ensure that test events
could be carried out for all sports/disciplines to be held in temporary venues.
The Cape Town International Tennis Centre and Aquatic Centre would be constructed irrespective of the Games. New venue
construction would be coordinated by a specially created government agency (OCOO) in accordance with AU tendering policies
and in close cooperation with the OCOG. The OCOG would assume management responsibilities for completed venues through to
the end of the Paralympic Games.
Cape Town proposes a multi-sport venue at Phillipi as well as in identified previously disadvantaged areas where athletes
from 8 sports/disciplines would be able to train 20 minutes from the Olympic Village, while athletes from 17 sports/disciplines
would train at their respective competition venues.
The design of the planned Olympic stadium (80,000 seats) which feautures a retractable roof allows it to be used as a
multi-sport venue and its seating capacity after the games would be reduced to 50,000 in post-Games mode. It would be used
as the national athletics centre and provide a world class venue for sporting and non sporting events.
The high number of new permanent training venues (including some competition venues) in many identified previously disadvantaged
areas would serve as an excellent post-Games legacy for sports and community recreation and upliftment. Cape Town places particular
emphasis on the development of its sports infrastructure to benefit both elite and community sport.
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