The Times Editorial: The rip-roaring success of the World Cup has put South Africa in the running to bid for the 2020 Olympic Games. The possibility has been raised by none other than Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee, who announced on Wednesday that he would discuss the possibility of a South African bid with President Jacob Zuma when the two meet at Soccer City for the World Cup final on July 11.

Zuma is said to be enthusiastic about the idea. Already, three cities have emerged as possible host cities - Cape Town, which failed in its bid to host the Games in 2004, Johannesburg and Durban.

Obviously, hosting the first Olympics on African soil would be another major coup. The 2010 World Cup - traffic jams and petty crime notwithstanding - has been an astonishing success, promoting national unity and boosting our image internationally.

So, then, why shouldn't we jump at the opportunity to host the second-biggest show on Earth? After all, we now have top-class stadiums, a new international airport, the Gautrain and an upgraded road network.

Actually, there are compelling reasons why we should think carefully before throwing our hat into the Olympic rings. Before splurging countless millions on an Olympic Village and all the attendant specialist infrastructure, we urgently need to build hundreds of thousands of houses for the homeless, thousands of new schools, and hundreds of clinics.

We must tackle our mounting unemployment, develop our rural areas, breathe new life into our country towns, upgrade our creaking railway network, speed up agricultural reform .

We're now basking, deservedly, in the glow of an admiring world; after July 11 we will need to focus all our attention on improving the lives of millions of poor South Africans.