India submits bid to host 2036 Olympics: Which other nations are also in race to host 36th Games?

India took its first step towards realising its dream of hosting the 2036 Summer Olympics by submitting a formal Letter of Intent to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recently. As per sources, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) submitted the letter to IOC's Future Host Commission on 1 October in which it expressed the nation’s interest in hosting the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games a little under 12 years from now.

During the 141st IOC Session that took place in Mumbai from 15 to 17 October last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced India’s intention to bid for the 36th Summer Olympic Games, adding that the nation would “leave no stone unturned” to bring the Olympic movement home for the first time ever.

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“It’s a dream of 140 crore Indians. With the support of IOC, we would want to fulfill this dream,” PM Modi had said during the IOC Session , which was only the second hosted in India, with New Delhi having hosted the 86th IOC Session in 1983.

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Paris had hosted the latest edition of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in July and August this year while Los Angeles and Brisbane are set to host the 2028 and 2032 editions respectively.

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If successful in its bid to host the 2036 Games, India will become only the fourth nation to host the world’s biggest multi-sporting event after Japan (Tokyo 1964 and 2020), China (Beijing 2008) and South Korea (Seoul 1988).

However, winning the bid for the 2036 Olympics will be easier said than done for India, which has hosted the Asian Games twice (1951 and 1982) and the Commonwealth Games once (2010).

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Following are the nations that have confirmed their bids for the 36th Olympic Games besides India, which will be hosting the Games either in Ahmedabad or in New Delhi:

Saudi Arabia

The oil-rich kingdom in the Arabian peninsula has been making significant investments across a variety of sports in recent years and has not only hosted Formula 1 races, major boxing events and also created a breakaway golf tour, it is also a favourite to host the Olympic Esports Games next year as well as the FIFA World Cup and Asian Games in 2034. Given the amount of money it has spent on sports, it might be a strong favourite to host the first Olympic Games in the Middle East if it confirms its bid.

Qatar

Qatar had successfully hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup, becoming the first Middle-Eastern country to host the event, thus proving it had the necessary infrastructure to host a global sporting event of the scale of the Olympics. Doha had previously bid for the 2016 and 2020 Olympics, but will certainly have a stronger case for the 2036 Games.

Indonesia

Indonesia, like India, has hosted the Asian Games twice and is among the nations that in the race to host the 2036 Olympics, with the Indonesian Olympic Committee having announced its bid on 1 July 2021 after failing to secure the 2032 edition. A year later, Indonesia president Joko Widodo announced that the country would host the Olympics in Nusantra, the new Indonesian capital, if its bid is successful.

Turkey

Istanbul had previously placed unsuccessful bids to host the 2000, 2008 and 2020 Summer Olympics and will be hoping to be a fourth-time lucky after submitting its bid to host the 2036 Olympics. That Turkey has previously hosted multi-sporting events and will be hosting the 2027 European Games should boost its credentials as an Olympic host.

Chile

Santiago had received praise from IOC chief Thomas Bach himself after successfully hosting the 2023 Pan American Games, after which the Chilean Olympic Committee was advised to elevate itself to the status of an Olympic host. Chilean president Gabriel Boric had earlier this year confirmed the nation’s intent to bid for the 2036 Games. If successful in its bid, Santiago could become the second South American city after Rio de Janiero (2016) to host the Olympics.