
India was first off the blocks in the emerging race to host the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games, but it seems internal turmoil and lack of focus might be pushing the bid out of its lane.
It was almost a year ago when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi boldly told the International Olympic Committee (IOC) membership gathered at a Session in Mumbai that his nation would “leave no stone unturned” in its attempt to secure the Olympic Games in 2036, the next available edition after Los Angeles in 2028 and Brisbane in 2032. Modi reinforced his commitment alongside the United Nations Summit in New York Saturday when he said “very soon, you will witness the Olympics in India too.”
“We are putting in all possible efforts to host the 2036 Olympics,” he told Indian Diaspora in the United States.
But comments from an IOC spokesperson in an email to The New Indian Express have shed doubt on the progress of India’s bid in a field that the IOC says numbers in the double-digits.
“IOC is happy to see interest in hosting from India, with its huge passion for sport and youthful population. To move forward, any project from India would need the official support of the National Olympic Committee (NOC),” the email read.
That statement is surprising since the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has said on numerous occasions that it has opened an official dialogue with the IOC for a 2036 bid, a move that presumes the support of that NOC. But recent chaos within the IOA, the result of an internal power struggle and accusations of corruption, has likely caused concern for the IOC and its Future Host Commission tasked with identifying preferred candidates to recommend to the its Executive Board. The IOA even went to the extreme of issuing a press release in February urging media to avoid articles that “tarnish the image” of the organization which could “derail” the bid.
“The IOC had been reiterating that a strong NOC is needed for a positive bidding process,” the IOC spokesperson said regarding the situation with the IOA.
The New Indian Express has reported that official bid committees have yet to be formed for the 2036 bid and for the 2030 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) bid that has also been promised by Modi.
There are also concerns that Ahmedabad has yet to be officially named the proposed host city from the massive nation despite the creation of a comprehensive masterplan developed by architectural design firm Populous. This would put the bid behind other nations such as Indonesia where the new capital Nusantara has been proposed and Turkey where Istanbul would stage the majority of the events.
The IOC surprisingly confirmed this telling the Indian news website “The IOC has not been informed by the IOA of any selected region,” even as it claims to keep negotiations with interested parties confidential.
India does have some political and financial clout in the race, however, with Indian IOC member and philanthropist Nita Ambani whose husband is the wealthiest person in the nation. Mukesh Ambani is chair of the Mumbai-based conglomerate Reliance Industries and the IOC has hinted that the corporation could sign on as a new high-level TOP sponsor for the Olympics.
Nita Ambani was instrumental in bringing the IOC Session with over 100 members to Mumbai last year and she has been credited with the unlikely inclusion of cricket on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics program, the most popular sport in India. But that influence will pale against powerful players from Qatar and Saudi Arabia that are both expected to enter the highly contested 2036 race.
The IOC has no official timelines for the awarding of the 2036 Olympics or the 2030 Youth Olympic Games but both are expected to follow parallel paths. Future Host Commission Chair Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović has said that the 2036 race won’t culminate before 2026 or 2027 and the Youth Olympic Games will likely be awarded ahead of its 2026 edition scheduled to take place October that year in Dakar, Senegal.
Ahead of that race will be the election of a new IOC President to replace Thomas Bach at the conclusion of his 12-year reign. A new president will be elected in March and will take control June 23 next year. Since 2019, the selection of Olympic hosts has been tightly controlled by the IOC President and his Executive Board so a new president could shake up the power dynamics that will determine the 2036 contenders.
So much is uncertain at this point except that India will face fierce competition and an uphill battle in order to secure the 2036 Games. Recently more emphasis has been put on host the Youth Olympics, a more achievable target for the subcontinent.
“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi we are going to bid for the 2030 Youth Olympics but our focus remain on hosting the 2036 Olympics,” the Indian sport minister Mansukh Mandaviya said during the Olympic Council of Asia’s (OCA) General Assembly this month.
But with so many unknown variables surrounding the bid processes, focus is difficult to control. If the Youth Olympics are awarded first, success for India would likely rule out a 2036 Games. In fact, siting the YOG in India might be a strategy for the IOC to remove the nation from the 2036 race with a consolation.
The competition to host the Youth Olympics is more understated with bids from Denmark, Mongolia, Peru, Mexico and Thailand possible. The IOC does not publish comprehensive lists of NOC’s interested in staging Games.