Olympics 2036: India among seven nations invited by IOC to present bids

Indian team at Olympics (Pic: Olympics)

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Tuesday that India, alongside Germany, Qatar, and four other nations, is part of a select group of seven countries with official aspirations to host the 2036 Olympic Games. These interested parties have now received formal invitations to showcase their proposals to the Future Host Commission this coming November.

The evaluation process will thoroughly examine critical technical criteria, including comprehensive venue master plans, athlete experience frameworks, robust funding models, political and public backing, delivery capabilities, and long-term legacy benefits designed to enrich the host communities.

Detailing the current contenders in an official release, the IOC noted:

"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 several 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 road ahead for India's Olympic bid

With this roadmap firmly in place, the IOC confirmed that no additional interested parties will be evaluated for the 2036 edition following the October 31 cutoff.

India officially submitted its Expression of Interest to stage the prestigious multi-sport event in 2024. Although the host selection mechanism faced a temporary pause under newly appointed IOC President Kirsty Coventry, who sought to gather fresh feedback from member nations to optimise the procedure, the latest developments put India right back in the thick of the race as preparations for the November presentations get underway.

This Olympics development comes after India was confirmed as the host of the 2030 Commonwealth Games at the Annual General Assembly in Glasgow in November 2025.

The 74 member nations and territories unanimously voted to ratify the Evaluation Committee's recommendation, and the City of Ahmedabad in the state of Gujarat will be the host of the Centenary Games. Commonwealth Sport also confirmed that 15 - 17 sports will feature at Ahmedabad 2030.

(With inputs from PTI)