Guests start arriving in Durban ahead of 2018 Olympics vote

Jul 3, 2011, 12:49 GMT

Johannesburg - Officials began to arrive in South Africa on Sunday ahead of the International Olympic Committee vote in Durban to decide which city will host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.

'It is an honour for us to host this historic meeting,' said South Africa President Jacob Zuma, welcoming the guests for the 123rd IOC annual meeting. A major Olympic event has not been held in Africa since before World War II.

'It promises to be a memorable event,' promised South African IOC member Sam Ramsamy, who led the first non-racial delegation from the country to the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

Once banned from world sports competition, during the years of apartheid rule, South Africa has returned to the international fold in recent years, hosting the football World Cup in 2010 and now the IOC general meeting. The country also hopes to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The executive board of the IOC meets on Monday, followed by wider sessions later in the week. On Wednesday, the vote takes place to decide where the 2018 Winter Games will be held, with Germany's Munich, the French resort of Annecy and South Korea's Pyeongchang vying for the honour.

The next Winter Games are already scheduled for Sochi, Russia in 2014.

Also, on Thursday, a wedding reception for Prince Albert II of Monaco and his South African bride, former Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock, will be held in Durban.