The Indian government has formally submitted its letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to host the 2036 Olympic Games. The Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) confirmed that India had submitted its letter of interest to the IOC’s Future Host Commission on October 1, 2023.
If India is successful in its bid, it will try to include some new sports as the host, such as yoga, kabaddi, kho kho and chess. However, India will face stiff competition to host the 2036 Summer Olympics, as 10 countries, including India, are in the running to host the event.
Confirming the formal letter of interest from India, a source told IANS, “This is a significant step forward in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, which will have a significant impact on economic development, social progress and youth empowerment across India.”
The Summer Olympics, known as the “Greatest Show on Earth”, are held in a single city, but the surrounding areas are also used as venues. Ahmedabad has been mentioned as a possible Olympic venue for India, but the name of the city that has been mentioned in the formal letter of interest is not yet known.
The government’s mindset regarding India’s interest in hosting the Olympics was made clear at the 141st IOC session in Mumbai last year, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “We will spare no effort to host the 2036 Olympics on Indian soil. This is a long-standing dream of 1.4 billion people in India.”
IOC President Thomas Bach called India’s interest in hosting the Olympics a “strong demand”. If India succeeds, it will be the first Olympics to be hosted in South Asia. So far, 30 Olympic Games have been held, of which only 4 have been held in Asia (Tokyo 1964 and 2020, Beijing 2008, Seoul 1988).
The 2028 Olympic Games will be held in Los Angeles, USA, and the 2032 Games in Brisbane, Australia. Currently, apart from India, Mexico, Indonesia, Turkey, Poland, Egypt and South Korea have expressed interest in hosting the 2036 Olympics.
