India has officially entered the race to host the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games with a letter of intent delivered to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on October 1, a source told India Today. But with India already involved in ongoing discussions with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and their Future Host Commission (FHC), not much will change and rebuilding trust in the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) will remain a key stumbling block for the bid.
The IOC’s policy is to keep the identities of interested bidders confidential and they will not confirm reception of the letter.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year told IOC members meeting in Mumbai that he would leave “no stone left unturned” in his pursuit to host the Games, but in the following months chaos within the IOA seemed to leave the national Olympic committee disengaged from the project. As recently as September 21 an IOC spokesperson alluded that the IOA had yet to reach out, but admitted that India was already participating in the ongoing discussions.
IOA President PT Usha defended her work Tuesday on social media platform X by explaining engagement with the IOC that has taken place over the past year.
“Our officers attended the executive and observer programs the International Olympic Committee organized during the Paris Olympics 2024,” Usha said, adding “these interactions and learning led to the submission of our letter of intent to host the 2036 Olympic games in India in early October this year.”
“Despite some internal challenges within the IOA, our commitment to hosting the 2036 Summer Games remains steadfast.
“Indian Olympic Association remains in continuous contact with the International Olympic Committee and I am optimistic that India will be viewed as a gracious host”
The IOA’s relationship with the IOC has deteriorated significantly after being charged with poor governance. Last month the IOC halted solidarity payments to the IOA – a revenue sharing package designed to support athletes and sport programs. Further sanctions could follow, including a suspension which would make it impossible for the bid to continue.
The IOC’s decisions to suspend the funding followed the delivery of the letter of intent. The IOA has found itself in similar predicaments twice in the past decade.
The chaos stems from financial mismanagement that saw bills going unpaid and the subsequent disagreement between President PT Usha and Executive Committee members over the ratification of the CEO. The IOC has been concerned about unfiled annual reports and critical meetings have been delayed or canceled. At one point Usha asked the press to stop reporting negative stories as it would risk the potential Olympic bid.
But the IOC has motive to allow India some leeway. The organization is banking on the world’s most populous nation for financial and consumer growth and is currently negotiating on potential high level partner sponsorships and major broadcast agreements with Indian entities connected to IOC member Nita Ambani. Last year the Los Angeles 2028 organizing committee and the IOC agreed to include cricket – India’s most popular sport – in the Games for that nation’s benefit.
The Indian project is among interested bidders from at least 10 regions, according to the IOC, in discussions that could lead to a ‘targeted dialogue’ where one or more suitable candidates are invited for more serious final negotiations. There is no set timeline for the process but announcements are not expected before a new IOC president is inaugurated next June 23, replacing current chief Thomas Bach. FHC chair Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović recently said that a bid would not be elected until 2026 or 2027.
Modi also committed to bidding for the 2030 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) and that could be part of this same process, but the host for that edition will likely be elected earlier and perhaps ahead of the next Summer YOG set to take place in Dakar, Senegal in October 2026.
India has never bid for or hosted an Olympics. At the Paris 2024 Games, India brought 110 athletes who earned a combined one silver and five bronze medals.
No proposed cities or venues have been named but Ahmedabad, home to Narendra Modi cricket stadium, has been developing an Olympics masterplan.
If they are to win the bid, it will only be after passing several difficult hurdles beginning with the strong field of competitors that have already been engaged in discussion for months or years.
Places involved in continuous dialogue with the IOC to host in 2036 include Istanbul in Türkiye, India, Indonesia, Santiago in Chile, Seoul in South Korea, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Egypt and South Africa are positioning for either 2036 or 2040 in their attempts to be the first-ever African hosts. Germany, UK and Poland have expressed interest in bidding for the 2040 Games.
