This week London Mayor Sadiq Khan reiterated his plan to bring the Olympic Games back to the capital, further confirmation that he will follow through on election promises he made in 2021 and 2024.
“I would like to see London become the first city to host the Games four times,” he told The Times.
Now eying the 2040 edition, Khan’s efforts will be daunting as races to host the 2036, 2040 and even 2044 Olympic Games are now as complicated as ever.
London’s fourth Games would be record-setting and capitalize on legacy from the city’s 2012 Games as well as many other international sports events held in and around London in recent and upcoming years.
“… If we have the World (Athletics) Championships in 2029, it means in the lead-up there’s energy, enthusiasm and investment in track and field, which means you will have the future Mo Farahs, the future Paula Radcliffes (British marathon champions),” Khan said.
“Globally, everyone loves coming to London. And we’ve managed to stage a good event every year in the London Diamond League. I’m in favour of this. I was in Paris last summer and I saw the transformation of their city.
“But we could knock it out of the park in relation to the Olympics, using the assets we already have in the aquatics centre, the stadium, the velodrome. And we could have some events outside of London too. London could be a hub.”
The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) less formal bid process will make London’s run for the Games less about competition and more frustrating as success is now determined by the whims of IOC Executives and its President.
For 2012, London was among Paris, Madrid, New York and Moscow in a race that was tightly scheduled and tied to campaigning in front of 100-or-so IOC members through presentations and various meetings. In that race London narrowly defeated Paris after Prime Minister Tony Blair did some last-minute lobbying with IOC members just hours before the vote in Singapore.
Now there is no set schedule, no published list of applicants and the Executive Board will ultimately determine behind closed doors which bid will be presented to IOC members for ratification.
That is unless IOC President-elect Kirsty Coventry changes the rules when she assumes office June 24, replacing outgoing president Thomas Bach who implemented the existing process.
Coventry told reporters she will be making changes but has yet to specify when, or what they will be. Unofficially supported by Bach as his successor, Coventry is expected to keep much of Bach’s legacy intact.
Several regions are lining up to bid for 2036, the next available Games after Brisbane 2032. Qatar, Saudi Arabia, India, Hungary, Nusantara in Indonesia, Santiago in Chile, South Africa, Egypt, Germany and North Jeolla, South Korea are possible competitors in that race, and any that are unsuccessful could spill into a 2040 run.
Qatar and Saudi Arabia are both pushing to be the first Arab nation to host, and they have the recent experience, wealth and strong desire to dominate international sport to succeed. It seems the IOC is already laying the groundwork for this, suggesting that the typical July-August Summer Games window be made more flexible to accommodate hot climates.
India, the world’s most populous nation, is also likely to host a near future Games due to its attractiveness to the IOC. There is strong political support and backing by India’s wealthiest family represented by IOC member Nita Ambani, and the inclusion of cricket at the Los Angeles 2028 Games has built further synergy.
Coventry, a Zimbabwean who served on the Coordination of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games – the first in Africa – will be interested in seeing the senior event for the first time in Africa as well. A Games in South Africa, Egypt or perhaps somewhere else on the continent could be in the works for the new IOC president.
But the U.K. could see its biggest competition from Europe. Germany is vying to host – perhaps in 2040 to mark the 50th anniversary of the reunification of Germany. The German sports authority DOSB will decide next year whether Berlin with Leipzig, Hamburg, Munich, or the Rhine-Ruhr region will lead the bid for 2036, 2040 or 2044.
Other European bids could come from Istanbul, Budapest, Barcelona or Madrid.
To further complicate things, the IOC could once again elect multiple hosts at the same time as it did with Paris 2024/Los Angeles 2028 and French Alps 2030/Salt Lake City 2034 (and exclusive window for Switzerland in 2038). That would mean any city that is looking to host any near-future Games needs to start preparing immediately.
