India Among Seven Nations Seeking to Host 2036 Olympics

India is among seven countries currently competing for the right to host the 2036 Summer Olympics, with the International Olympic Committee moving ahead with a new selection process for the Games.

Germany, Qatar, Hungary, Turkey, South Africa and South Korea are the other countries involved in preliminary discussions with the IOC. The organisation is expected to establish a shortlist in March 2027, with some candidates moving into a more detailed strategic dialogue.

IOC President Kirsty Coventry said the interests and experience of athletes would remain central to the selection process, stressing that any future host must be capable of providing athletes with the best possible environment.

For India, the bid represents an attempt to bring the Olympics to the world’s most populous country for the first time. India has never hosted the Summer Games, although it has staged a number of major international sporting events.

Qatar is also seeking to make history with its bid. The Gulf nation hopes to become the first Muslim majority country to host the Olympics. Qatar previously sought the Games with a bid from Doha and successfully hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Germany’s bid is centred on Munich, which previously hosted the 1972 Summer Olympics. Hungary is also attempting to secure the Games after previously pursuing a bid for the 2024 Olympics.

Turkey’s Istanbul is another experienced candidate. The city has made five previous attempts to secure the Olympics but has yet to win the right to host the event.

South Africa is hoping to bring the Olympics to the African continent for the first time. The country has considerable experience hosting major international sporting events, including the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

South Korea is the only candidate among the group to have hosted both a Summer and Winter Olympics. Seoul staged the Summer Games in 1988, while Pyeongchang hosted the Winter Olympics in 2018.

The IOC has introduced changes to the bidding process, including a strategic dialogue stage designed to involve potential hosts more closely throughout the evaluation period.

Preferred hosts are expected to be identified after the strategic dialogue process in 2028, with the final decision on the 2036 host expected around the middle of 2029.

Countries that have not yet entered the process can still express their interest until October 31. However, the IOC does not expect significant numbers of new candidates to emerge so close to the deadline.

The revised process could also result in more than one preferred host being identified, marking a departure from previous procedures in which the IOC Executive Board typically advanced a single candidate for the final vote.

The selection process comes as the Olympic movement looks ahead to the next two Summer Games. Los Angeles will host the 2028 Olympics, followed by Brisbane in Australia in 2032.

The 2036 race is therefore shaping up as a significant competition among countries seeking to stage one of the world’s largest sporting events, with India facing bids from nations with varying levels of Olympic and major event experience.

Courtesy: thestar