Will Africa ever host the Olympics?

At present, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) evaluation commission is in New York to assess the American city's candidature to host the 2012 Olympics.

The commission, which is headed by former Moroccan Olympic gold medallist Nawal El Moutawakel, has already visited Madrid and London and will inspect Paris and Moscow next month.

Earlier this year, Kenya announced it would bid for the 2016 Games but can it meet the specific criteria in terms of ticketing, transport, political commitment, an Olympic village and a legacy for the future?

BBC's Fast Track programme is asking:

Will Africa ever host the Olympic Games?

Which city would be capable of staging global sport's showpiece event?

When might this actually happen?

Join the debate this Friday 25 February at 1630 GMT and 1830 GMT.

Use the form on the right to send BBC Fast Track your views.

If you would like to take part in the discussion, e-mail us with your telephone number, which will not be published.

The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide.

The Olympic games has a rich history of involvment from sportsmen and women in the developed and developing world. This is what makes it so unique when compared to other sporting contests, such as the football World Cup and the rugby World Cup.I believe that it is about time that it is staged in a developing country, despite the financial criteria of the IOC.
Chidi Muoghalu, London, UK

I don't think Africa has the ability to host the Olympics right now, not until we see what South Africa has in store for football's 2010 World Cup.
Solomon Magbagbeola, Boston, USA

To host a big event like the Olympics, Africa needs a stable political atmosphere. Only then can we start worrying about the money to finance the infrastructure for an Olympics. It has always been my dream and wish to see my countrymen and women like Kenenisa Bekele and Derartu Tulu win the Olympic gold medal on African soil, but conisdering the present situation in most African countries, the chance of an African nation hosting the Olympics is slim. I am not a pessimist but it is the real fact!
Daniel Tesfaye, Plano, TX - USA

It is up to Africa to prove to the world that it is capable of hosting the Olympics one day .Cities don't host the Olympics by chance or accident. They get ready for it. They take their time and put up the neccesary structures needed for a first class competition of this magnitude. It is still too early to imagine any African city hosting the Olympics in the near future. But a gradual focus towards it will do the trick.
Amin George Forji, Cameroonian living in Helsinki, Finland

Materially, I think one or two countries - South Africa or Morocco - could host the Olympic games. However, I see the issue as more of a moral problem than a purely material one. In the face of widespread poverty, could an African country summon the moral courage to spend the kind of money necessary for staging a two-week extravaganza like an Olympic games? I think this is the real question.
Abdulai Musa Lagos, Nigeria

Why do the Olympics have to be in one city or even one country? Let Africa host them, then South America, then Asia, then Europe, then North America.
John, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Being from Ethiopia, but having never lived there, I must say I would love to see the Olympics hosted somewhere on the continent. Each country has its own issues that would make hosting the games a challenge. But in my perfect world, the most spectacular scenario would be if all the countries collaborated to host the games as a continent. They could either pick one country to represent all of them, or each country could host one event that it was best suited for. This would be a great way to show the world what Africa is made of.
Lily , Washington, DC

I think that an attempt by any African country to host the Olympic games would mean a halt in all other developmental initiatives. Any African country which believes it has the fund for organising such a grand event should use that money to empower its people economically.
Joseph, Saratoga, USA

Africa will surely host the Olympics, it's all a matter of time. However, Africa has a slightly different agenda to confront: AIDS, poverty and corruption to name a few. I think these problems ought to be Africa's focus for now.
Sam Chagani, Minnesota, United States