IOC reacts to India's formal bid to host 2036 Olympics: 'With its huge passion for sport and youthful population...'

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) welcomed India's bid to host the Summer Olympics and Paralympics in the future, saying the nation has a lot to offer to the Olympic movement with “its huge passion for sport and youthful population”. The Lausanne-based body, however, added that the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) was yet to finalise a host city while submitting its bid last month, while adding that nations from four continents are also in the race to host the 36th Olympic Games.

While informal discussions had begun as early as July this year , the IOA had formally submitted a Letter of Intent to IOC’s Future Host Commission on 1 October, making India’s first formal step towards realising its dream of hosting the Olympics and becoming only the fourth nation to do so after Japan, South Korea and China.

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“The IOC very much welcomes India’s interest in hosting a future edition of the Olympic Games. This interest has been expressed very firmly to us on a number of occasions by all levels of Government as well as in our ongoing talks with the IOA,” said the statement.

“With its huge passion for sport and youthful population, India has much to offer for the future of the Olympic Movement. The IOC has not yet been informed by the IOA of any selected potential host region. Currently there are Interested Parties from four continents discussing with the IOC in an informal and non-committal way about hosting a future edition of the Olympic Games," the IOC said on Wednesday.

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The process of selecting a host city for the Summer or Winter Games, according to the Olympic website, begins with an “Informal Exchange” between the IOC and the National Olympic Committee that is followed by a “Continuous Dialogue” stage which is non-committal in nature, in which a potential host becomes an Interested Party.

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This stage primarily involves the Interested Party drawing plans for hosting the Games while the IOC conducts a feasibility survey to see if the world’s biggest multi-sporting event can be conducted in that part of the world or not.

The next step is a targeted dialogue, in which an Interested Party becomes a Preferred Host if the IOC’s feasibility study turns out to be positive, although the approval of the IOC Executive Committee will also be needed for the same.

Each Preferred Host will be asked to respond to a Future Host Questionnaire and provide a number of guarantees, following which the EB puts forth one or more parties election in the next IOC Session.