As India Makes Its Pitch, IOC Says Decision on 2036 Olympics Host Unlikely Before 2026

The decision on which city will host the 2036 Summer Olympics will be taken in three years’ time at the earliest, the International Olympic Committee said on Sunday.

India this week declared interest in staging the Olympics in 2036, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the IOC leadership at the opening ceremony of its session in Mumbai.

The country has never hosted the Olympics before, but in 2010 Delhi hosted the Commonwealth Games.

“India will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to organise the Olympics in India in 2036. This is the age-old dream of 140 crore (1.4 billion) Indians, it is their aspiration,” Modi said. “We want to realise this dream with your collaboration and support… I am confident that India will get the support of the IOC.”

Modi also said India would look to host the Youth Olympics in 2029. “Sport is not just about winning medals but also winning hearts,” he said.

India is among several nations eyeing future Games, with Paris set to host the 2024 Summer Olympics and Los Angeles picked for the 2028 Games. Brisbane in Australia will stage the 2032 Olympics. Poland, Mexico and Indonesia have also expressed interest in bidding for those Games.

“Any decision will be made by a new IOC leadership and not before 2026 or 2027,” said Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, who chairs the IOC’s future host commission. The IOC is set to elect a new president in 2025.

“I am pleased to report that the number of the interested parties for hosting the Games is in double digits,” she said.

She did not clarify whether that figure included both summer and winter Games candidacies or just the 2036 Summer Olympics.

India is a growing sports power, having finished fourth in the Asian Games this month, with a national record of 28 golds, and more than 100 medals overall.

The country also won seven medals, including one gold, at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, the nation’s record haul.

Cricket, the most popular sport in India, was also picked this week along with four other sports to be included in the 2028 Olympics.

(With inputs from Agencies)