New Delhi: India’s bid to host the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games has moved into the next phase after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) outlined the roadmap for selecting the host city, with India among seven interested parties currently in dialogue with the global sports body.
The IOC Tuesday published a handbook detailing the selection process for the 2036 Olympic Games, with the Executive Board set to shortlist interested parties for the next stage of the process by March 2027.
According to IOC, India, Germany, Hungary, Qatar, the Republic of Korea, South Africa and Türkiye are currently in continuous dialogue over their stated interest in hosting the 2036 Olympic Games.
The development comes as India continues to pursue its ambition of bringing the world’s biggest sporting event to the country for the first time.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) had formally sent a Letter of Intent to the IOC’s Future Host Commission October 1, 2024, expressing India’s interest in hosting the 2036 Olympics and Paralympics.
The IOC’s Future Host Commission is responsible for overseeing the process of selecting hosts for future Olympic Games, with the final hosting rights to be awarded by IOC Members through a multi-stage selection process.
“I was fortunate to compete at five Olympic Games, across four continents. Each had their own character,” said IOC President Kirsty Coventry in an official statement.
“Each host brought something unique through its people, its culture and the way it chose to stage the Games. 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 added.
Under the newly announced roadmap, the interested parties will make virtual presentations to the Future Host Commission in November 2026. The IOC will then conduct feasibility assessments by March 2027 before its Executive Board opens the Strategic Dialogue with shortlisted projects.
India and the other interested parties will be assessed on several technical and strategic parameters, including their venue masterplan, athlete experience, funding strategy, political and public support, Games delivery capabilities and long-term legacy plans.
The projects will also be evaluated on their vision for the Games and how they align with local development plans as well as the broader objectives of the Olympic Movement
The process will enter its final stage in December 2028, when the Executive Board is scheduled to open a targeted dialogue with a select number of preferred hosts.
The Preferred Hosts will then provide final responses to the questionnaire along with a full set of guarantees before IOC Members elect the host of the 2036 Olympic Games at an IOC Session in mid-2029.
The IOC has also set October 31, 2026 as the deadline after which no new interested parties will be considered for the 2036 Olympic Games.
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