South Africa will host the prestigious Commonwealth Games for the first time, as the Commonwealth Games Federation officially named Durban as the host of the multi-sport event in 2022.<\/p>\n
Durban was the only bidder for the event after Edmonton withdrew as a candidate, citing financial reasons. South Africa has done moderately well at the Commonwealth Games, and it’s likely the country will ramp up its focus on sports in the next six years.<\/p>\n
Swimming could be one of the bright spots for South Africa, but it depends on the future talent that will be representing the country. The current swim stars — Cameron Van Der Burgh and Chad Le Clos — might not extend their careers to 2022. Van der Burgh will be 33 years old, though Le Clos will be 29 and could still be a major player on the international scene. The two were responsible for six of the nine individual medals for South Africa at last year’s Commonwealth Games in Scotland. In a Twitter post, Le Clos expressed a hope to race in front of a home crowd in seven years.<\/p>\n
\nAwesome news that my home town Durban will host the 2022 Commonwealth Games #Durban2022<\/a> @thecgf<\/a> @Durban2022<\/a> – hopefully see you there!<\/p>\n
— Chad Le Clos (@chadleclos) September 2, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n