The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) decision to award the Games to a city in South America for the first time in its 113-year history leaves Africa as the last continent not to have staged the event.

Fredericks, a four-time Olympic silver medallist, and now the chairman of the IOC's influential Athletes Commission, said that he hopes that is something that can be rectified when the 2020 Games are awarded.

The Namibian said: "The African continent has to start dreaming and come up with a good bid."

Fredericks claimed that the fact that FIFA have decided to stage the World Cup in Africa next year for the first time would give a potential Olympic bid momentum.

He said: "It is not going to be easy but Africa has the chance to host a good World Cup next year and then can start thinking about hosting the 2020 Olympics."

Cape Town bid for the 2004 Olympics, reaching the last three in the 1997 vote before the Games were awarded to Athens.

Durban is already considering putting itself forward for the 2020 Olympics but Fredericks claimed that several other countries in Africa, the world's second biggest continent, could mount serious bids.

Fredericks told insidethegames: "South Africa has already hosted a successful Rugby World Cup and any of the big cities in South Africa would be capable of hosting the Olympics.

"But we have to decide which of the African powerhouses should bid.

"That could be South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt or Morocco.

"But the African continent must get behind the bid."

Rabat, Morocco's capital, has already been mentioned as a possible African contender.

Fredericks believes that Africa hosting the Olympics could also help the development of sport in the continent, he said at a "Newsmaker Breakfast" organised by Around The Rings.

He said: "It would give our athletes the opportunity to dream.

"We are already seeing it with the World Cup in South Africa next year and it would be the same if Africa was chosen to the host the Olympics."


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