Which countries have bid for 2036 Olympic Games?

India is looking to host the 2036 Olympic Games.

The topic of discussion that has divided pundits and common people at the moment: Is India ready to host the Summer Olympics 2036? If India does win the bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2036, it will have to spend extravagantly, including on sports where the nation has nothing much to show.

Many believe the same amount of money should be spent on improving the grassroots level, especially considering India finished 71st in the medal tally at the Paris Olympics 2024.

However, the pros of hosting an event of that grandeur can never be overstated. It can inspire an entire generation and make athletes from remote backgrounds dream about standing atop the podium. The facilities built will be world-class and can be used by many generations after the programme’s completion.

This will enhance India’s stature as a sporting nation. It could also indirectly impact geopolitical matters: it would be a true show of power, similar to what China successfully demonstrated during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The debate aside, India has officially submitted a bid to host its first-ever Olympics in 2036. The path to winning it is far from easy, though. The quality of the infrastructure must be of the highest level, in line with the standards of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Three other nations have already officially expressed interest, while many others (including countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Italy) might do the same soon. On that note, let’s look at the countries that have put in their bids and could stake their claim to the rights to the biggest sporting event to be held after eleven years:

Official Bids:

India: Multiple Locations

While Sports Minister Anurag Thakur and Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President Narinder Batra had previously backed India’s ability to host the Olympics, it was in October 2023 at the 141st IOC Session that Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally declared India’s interest in bidding for the Summer Games 2036.

Two years before that, the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA) had appointed PwC as its consultants, which identified 22 sites in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar that had the potential to host the Olympics.

A large sports complex named the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave is being constructed in Ahmedabad, which includes several multi-sport venues. On 1 October 2024, the IOA officially submitted a letter of intent to the Future Host Commission.

In January 2025, a multi-city bid for India was proposed, with the various sports being bifurcated as follows: Ahmedabad (aquatics, athletics, basketball, shooting, tennis, urban sports, volleyball, and hosting the main Olympic Village), Bhubaneswar (field hockey), Bhopal (row), Mumbai (cricket, football) and Pune (canoeing).

In March 2025, Goa (football, sailing) and the Taj Mahal in Agra (archery) were added to the list. The Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) of the Sports Authority of India has proposed including some native Indian sports in the 2036 Games, including Kabaddi, Kho-Kho, and Yoga.

India will try to secure the rights to host the Youth Olympics 2036 and the World Athletics Under-20 Championships to strengthen its claim on this biggest sporting event.

Turkey: Istanbul

On 14 July 2021, Turkey launched a bid to host the Summer Olympics and Paralympics 2036. On 3 April 2023, a meeting took place between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Secretary of Youth and Sports Mehmet Kasapoğlu, and IOC President Thomas Bach, regarding the same.

Istanbul is set to host the European Para Youth Games 2025, the European Games 2027, and has expressed a desire to host the European Para Championships 2027, in preparation for the quadrennial extravaganza.

Indonesia: Nusantara

On 1 July 2021, the committee head of the Indonesian Olympic Committee announced that Indonesia would bid for the 2036 Games, after failing to secure the 2032 edition. On 3 August 2022, President Joko Widodo announced plans to hold the Olympics 2036 in Nusantara, the new capital city of Indonesia.

In October last year, the Minister of Youth and Sports, Dito Ariotedjo, was quoted as saying that options like Jakarta, Bali, Jakabaring, and Medan are also being explored. The nation has previously hosted the Asian Games 2018 in Jakarta and Palembang.

Chile: Santiago

During the 2023 Pan American Games, Bach suggested that the Chilean Olympic Committee should contemplate bidding for the Olympics in the future. In June 2024, President Gabriel Boric confirmed that the country will submit a bid for the Summer Games 2036 to be held in Santiago, giving a green signal to the Ministry of Sports to start preparations.

The country’s potential to host big-ticket events will be gauged from the success of events like the Youth Parapan American Games 2025, the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2025, the UCI Track Cycling World Championships 2025, the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup 2025, and the Special Olympics World Summer Games 2027.

Potential Bids

Here are the other countries that could potentially submit a bid for the Olympic Games 2036:

• Egypt: New administrative capital
• South Africa
• South Korea: North Jeolla Province
• Qatar: Doha
• Saudi Arabia: Riyadh
• Hungary: Budapest
• Italy: Florence-Bologna or Turin
• Denmark: Copenhagen
• Canada: Toronto-Montreal

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram