Nairobi may bid for 2024 Olympics

Nairobi's plan to bid for the 2024 Olympics games could see it becoming the first African city to host the world's premier sporting event.

Kenyan prime minister Raila Odinga was reported as saying that his country would begin preparing its pitch for the 33rd Olympics.

The 2024 host city will be elected by the International Olympic Committee in 2017, with the campaigning process beginning officially in 2015.

Previous, unsuccessful, attempts by African nations to lure the Olympics to their capital cities include Cairo's bid for the 2008 Olympics (subsequently hosted by Beijing) and Cape Town's bid to host the 2004 Games, which took place in Athens.

Rio de Janeiro becomes the first South American city to host the Olympics in 2016 while the destination for the 2020 event will be decided next year. Tokyo, Madrid and Istanbul remain in the running after Rome bowed out on the eve of the application deadline in February, after the city's bid failed to receive government support over funding concerns.