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In Paris, several nations flexed with plans to bid for future Olympic Games. Here’s a list.

In the IOC's reformed bid process there is no set timetable or procedure for submitting applications. At any time, IOC Executives can single out a preferred candidate and send the choice to the IOC's all-members Session for ratification.

President-Elect of the Republic of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto meets with IOC President Thomas Bach at Paris 2024 @erickthohir/Instagram
President-Elect of the Republic of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto meets with IOC President Thomas Bach at Paris 2024 @erickthohir/Instagram

Right on schedule, leaders from nations around the world saw the undeniable Olympic glow among international athletes in Paris and fans around the world – and they wanted it for their country. It’s the same at any Games, and it seems to be the right political move in the moment, to declare that a bid to host the Olympics will be launched.

As witnessed at the closing ceremony, the next Games will be staged in Los Angeles in 2028. The subsequent Games has been awarded as well – to Brisbane, Australia – much earlier than the typical seven year lead time due to updated International Olympic Committee (IOC) rules. That leaves the 2036 Games, a half generation away – as the next available opportunity for nations clamoring for an Olympics of their own.

IOC President Thomas Bach, who last week confirmed he will step aside as president next March at the end of his second term as the Olympic Charter mandates, has said that interested bidders for future Olympics amount in the double digits. After Paris, that number has certainly risen.

In the IOC’s reformed bid process there is no set timetable or procedure for submitting applications. Instead interested parties open up a ‘continuous dialogue’ that takes place behind the curtains. The IOC’s Future Host Commission maintains the confidentiality of those parties, leaving it up to them to make any announcements if they wish to do so. Due to the process, there is no list of applicants published or discussed – and there is no way of knowing all the regions vying to host.

At any time, IOC Executives can single out a preferred candidate and send the choice to the IOC’s all-members Session for ratification.

This could happen as early as next year when the 143rd Session will be held in Greece from March 18-21. For that to play out, a preferred candidate would probably have to be announced at an Executive Board meeting this fall. With Bach’s term ending, the influential president could be motivated to hurry up the process so he can have a say on the 2036 host and further extend his legacy.

Here are the regions that had something to say about bidding at, or shortly after the Paris 2024 Games

Nusantara, Indonesia

Indonesia’s president-elect Prabowo Subianto and Chair of the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) Erick Thohir met with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach in Paris just prior to the Games to discuss the nation’s involvement in future sports events, including hosting the Olympic Games. A delegation was granted ‘observers status’ as part of the IOC’s continuous dialogue phase.

“We explained the potential of Indonesia to be able to host international level sporting events including the Olympics in the future,” Thohir said on his Instagram account.

“Indonesia has been trusted to host various international sporting events, including the 2023 U-17 Football World Cup, the 2023 Basketball World Championship, and the 2018 Asian Games,” he added.

The plan is risky, however. The proposed host city is the new capital Nusantara, now currently under construction and scheduled for completion prior to 2036.

Changes would need to happen as well – last year the men’s under-20 FIFA World Cup was moved from Indonesia after it refused to allow Israel to participate in the tournament.

Istanbul, Turkey

After securing a bid to host the 2027 European Games, Turkey has been emboldened to seek more and Istanbul officials have said they will target the 2036 Olympics next. At a high level gathering at Turkey’s Olympic House in Paris, that idea was amplified.

The city is not a stranger to Olympic bids but has yet to win despite several tries. Istanbul failed in five campaigns over two decades including for the 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2020 editions.

Istanbul was considered a frontrunner to host in 2020 until an anti-government protest in the city’s Taksim Square led to nation-wide unrest resulting in several deaths and mass arrests. Tokyo won the bid instead despite concerns about radiation leaks from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant.

“I mostly focus on what the IOC expects, what they dream of, what the world wants to see,” Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu told AP in Paris about his Olympic ambitions.

“Personally, I’m not really interested to know what city is the competitor.”

He should be, however, as the competition is fierce, and growing.

India

India has been the most vocal nation with its intentions to host the 2036 Olympic Games and the campaign ramped up significantly last October when Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the IOC’s Session hosted in Mumbai that he “will leave no stone unturned” to win a bid.

No host city has officially been chosen but Ahmedabad with a population of over 8 million has already been preparing and officials have hired top consultants to design a masterplan for the event. The plan includes the existing 132,000 seat Modi Stadium, the largest in the world, named after the prime minister.

Indian officials were in Paris actively campaigning including IOC member Nita Ambani, wife of India’s wealthiest man Mukesh Ambani who Chairs energy conglomerate Reliance Industries. Lavish events were held at India House in Paris that mirrored the stunning wedding of Ambani’s son that made international headlines in July.

That kind of commitment and wealth will not go unnoticed by the IOC as it decides who to elect to host the 2036 Games.

During a press conference at the Paris 2024 Games IOC’s marketing director Anne-Sophie Voumard said “we would love to welcome a first new TOP [partner] sponsor from India and I am sure that this is going to happen very, very soon,” hinting that discussions were already underway, perhaps even during the Games.

Egypt

“Egypt will bid for 2036 and 2040,” Mustapha Berraf, IOC member and President of Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) told reporters on the final day of the Paris 2024 Games.

Plans have been in the works since President Bach visited the nation in 2022 and he played up the potential.

Plans revolve around an International Olympic City complex in the new administrative capital that is being developed just East of Cairo with a 93,000 seat national stadium, an arena, competitive swimming pool, tennis stadium, training infrastructure and several other Olympic inspired venues that could be the center of a future Olympic Games.

Cairo last bid for the 2008 Games that went to Beijing.

If successful, an Egypt Summer Games would represent the first-ever edition in both Africa and the Middle East.

Berraf said “Africa has the chance of organizing the Games,” but recognizing the competition for 2036 he added “It will most likely organize the Games in 2040.”

Cape Town, South Africa

Berraf also recognized the possibility the Cape Town could vie to be the first African host city.

While discussing Egypt he hinted that Cape Town was considering a bid for a future Games without specifying an edition.

Cape Town bid to host the 2004 Games but placed third in voting behind Athens and Rome.

Seoul, South Korea

Seoul is looking forward to bringing the Olympics back to the South Korean capital after first hosting the event in 1988, and Mayor Oh Se-hoon underlined this commitment on social media immediately following Paris’ closing ceremony. He said his city is the ideal place for a sustainable, low-carbon and cost-effective Games.

The city had been working with North Korean capital Pyongyang to stage a joint 2032 Games, but those plans unraveled after improving relations between the two nations collapsed. Then, Korean sports officials were caught off-guard when the IOC suddenly awarded that edition to Brisbane with an election years earlier than expected.

The city government is currently developing a feasibility study that is expected to be delivered soon.

Germany

In Paris during the first week of the Games Germany’s Federal Cabinet and the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) signed a joint declaration to launch a bid to host the 2040 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The decision follows months of public consultation and a decision to steer clear of the 2036 centenary of the Nazi led Berlin Olympics.

“Germany is a sporting nation and a great host for international sporting events – as we’ve just demonstrated with the Euros,”  Federal Minister of the Interior and Sports Nancy Faeser said, referencing the European Cup football tournament that was staged across Germany last month.

“It’s a chance to demonstrate the values our liberal democracy stands for. That’s why we want to combine the Olympics in Germany with celebrating 50 years of German unity.”

The Olympic mood isn’t at it’s highest in Germany, especially following what many consider at lackluster showing in Paris with 33 medals including 12 gold – enough to place the nation 10th in the medals table. Once an Olympic power, Germany has seen it’s medal tally drop continuously since its peak of 82 in 1992, and many blame funding cuts and bureaucracy for the downfall.

Hamburg bid for the 2024 Games but was forced to withdraw after narrowly losing a referendum. That followed several other failed bids for both the Summer and Winter editions made by Berlin, Leipzig and Munich. German official had also been pondering a 2032 campaign before the IOC unexpectedly chose Brisbane to host.

London, UK

Since London Mayor Sadiq Khan made an election promise to bring the Olympics back to the capital in 2040, the idea has been gaining momentum in the UK.

“Since I’ve been mayor, I’ve been keen to make sure London is the sporting capital of the world,” Khan told Bloomberg News on his way to the Paris Games.

“We don’t have to build stadiums, most of the infrastructure is there, so we’re uniquely placed in terms of the cost.”

Khan also suggested that events could be shared among Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and other parts of England to make it a regional event that the IOC has been encouraging with new hosts.

London hosted the Games in 2012, 1948 and 1908. An Olympics in 2040 would be a record-breaking fourth Games for the city.

Qatar and Saudi Arabia

Less apparent in Paris were 2036 Olympic bids from wealthy Middle East nations Qatar and Saudi Arabia that were both recently awarded consecutive Asian Games in 2030 and 2034.

These nations have powerful connections inside the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the “Olympic Family” and have been using a quiet diplomacy to get their messages across. Last month Saudi Arabia was awarded a 12-year contract to support the IOC’s new Olympic Esports Games.

If Saudi Arabia’s solo bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup is approved, both nations will have staged the major event.

Though not much has been said about these two bids, they are clearly strong contenders to host in 2036.

A senior producer and award-winning journalist covering Olympic bid business as founder of GamesBids.com as well as providing freelance support for print and Web publications around the world. Robert Livingstone is a member of the Olympic Journalists Association and the International Society of Olympic Historians.

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