India, 6 other countries want to host 2036 Olympics: IOC

The International Olympic Committee on Tuesday said India, Germany, Qatar and Turkiye are among seven countries with a stated interest in hosting the 2036 Olympics and have been invited to present their Games projects to the IOC’s Future Host Commission next month.

The IOC said the projects will be assessed on a number of technical factors such as venue master-plan and athlete experience, funding strategy, political and public support, Games delivery capabilities, and legacy strategy to create long-term benefits for host communities. The world body, however, did not share the exact timeline for these presentations. “The Interested Parties currently in Continuous Dialogue with the IOC, with a stated interest in hosting the 2036 Olympic Games, are (in alphabetical order): Germany, Hungary, India, Qatar, Republic of Korea, South Africa and Turkiye,” read a statement from the IOC.

“There are also a number of NOCs taking part in noncommittal talks with the IOC about hosting future Olympic Games beyond 2036. The Interested Parties have been invited to present their projects to the Future Host Commission in November,” it added. The IOC, keeping this schedule in view, said no other Interested Parties will be considered for 2036 after October 31.

Ahmedabad is India’s city of choice to host the mega-event, which has never been held in the country before. India submitted its Expression of Interest to host the Games in 2024. The host selection process was subsequently halted by new IOC President Kirsty Coventry, who said fresh feedback would be taken from member nations to streamline the process.

The host of the 2036 Games will be known in mid-2029 and India’s negotiations will be led by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) in collaboration with the Gujarat government with the support of the Union Sports Ministry. “I was fortunate to compete at five Olympic Games, across four continents. Each had their own character. Each host brought something unique through its people, its culture and the way it chose to stage the Games,” said Coventry.

“But wherever the Games take place, one thing must never change: athletes have to be at the heart of everything we do. As an athlete, you spend years working to make your Olympic dream come true.

“The experience you have when you finally reach the Olympic Games stays with you for the rest of your life. That is why, for every future host, delivering the best possible experience for the athletes must always be the starting point,” she asserted. Earlier in June, the IOC introduced a strategic dialogue stage to short-list “Interested Parties with developed projects” in its Olympic host selection process as part of the review. The candidate cities will have to meet the criteria related to cost control, and clear timelines for completion of project milestones, among other aspects.

The next phase after the November presentations will be Strategic Dialogue instead of Targetted Dialogue, which will remain the final phase of decision-making process even in the revamped structure. The last phase will begin in 2028.

“During this new transitional stage, they will be expected to provide an initial response to the Future Host Questionnaire and core financial guarantees,” the IOC stated. At the end of the Targetted Dialogue, the IOC Members will receive a report from the Future Host Commission.

Following this, in mid-2029, the IOC Executive Board will select Preferred Hosts to be “put forward for election by the IOC Session to become the host of the 2036 Olympic Games.”