GQEBERHA – Unconfirmed reports suggest the Ironman African Championship would be moved from Nelson Mandela Bay to Mossel Bay.

The Ironman 70.3 event may, in turn, be staged in Nelson Mandela Bay under a proposed restructuring of the two races.

If confirmed, the arrangement would effectively see the two Ironman events swapped between the coastal cities — with the full-distance African Championship hosted in Mossel Bay and the half-distance 70.3 event staged in Nelson Mandela Bay.

The reports follow earlier speculation sparked by a social media post by Mossel Bay mayor Dirk Kotzé, referencing discussions at council level about a proposal involving Ironman South Africa and possible changes to existing hosting arrangements.

However, neither Ironman South Africa nor the municipalities involved have formally confirmed the reported change. Attempts to reach Kotzé and Ironman SA for comment were unsuccessful at the time of publication.

Municipality was confident of retaining event

Earlier this month, the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality reiterated its confidence that it would retain the Ironman African Championship beyond the 2026 edition, when the current agreement concludes.

In a statement issued on 1 June, the municipality reaffirmed its ambition to remain Africa’s leading endurance sports destination and a premier host of international sporting events.

For more than 20 years, Nelson Mandela Bay has hosted the Ironman African Championship, attracting thousands of athletes and visitors annually and generating significant tourism and economic spin-offs.

The municipality acknowledged growing international competition for major sporting rights but said it remains confident in its natural assets, established race conditions, tourism infrastructure and long-standing hosting record.

It said the city’s relationship with Ironman has developed beyond a contractual agreement into a strategic partnership, helping position Nelson Mandela Bay as the “Home of Ironman in Africa”.

Executive Mayor Babalwa Lobishe said the event has become part of the city’s identity and continues to play an important role in its economy and global profile.

She said the municipality remains committed to ongoing engagement with Ironman South Africa and is confident in the strength of the city’s offering.

The municipality also highlighted its long-term hosting record and said it remains committed to maintaining Nelson Mandela Bay as a premier global endurance sports destination, despite increasing international competition for major sporting events.

At the time, the municipality said it remained confident that the city would continue as the “Home of Ironman in Africa”.

Tourism pressures in Nelson Mandela Bay

The developments come against the backdrop of renewed concern over Nelson Mandela Bay’s struggling tourism sector and deteriorating beachfront infrastructure.

Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber chief executive officer Denise van Huyssteen said tourism has not recovered to pre-COVID-19 levels and continues to decline.

She said that while the metro attracted over 300,000 foreign tourists and 2.7 million domestic tourists in 2019, recovery since the pandemic has been weak, with 2024 figures showing foreign tourism at about two-thirds of pre-COVID levels and domestic tourism having more than halved.

The 2025 figures have yet to be released.

Van Huyssteen said the beachfront remains a critical tourism asset and a key venue for international events such as the Ironman African Championship, SKAL World Congress and Lifesaving World Championships, which bring significant economic spin-offs through tourism spending, hotel occupancy and support for local businesses.

She added that tourism remains one of the metro’s most immediate economic opportunities but warned that it is being lost due to inaction.

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