The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha confirmed India's formal dialogue with the Future Host Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on hosting the 2036 Olympics on Sunday, February 4.
Primer Minister Narendra Modi announced India's plans to host the 2036 Summer Olympics games during his speech at the IOC Session in Mumbai on October 14, 2023. But this is the first time IOA has confirmed official talks with the selection commission.
"The IOA is in active dialogue with the Future Host Commission of the IOC regarding hosting the 2030 Youth Olympics and the 2036 Olympic Games in India as per the vision of the Honourable Prime Minister," PT Usha said in an IOA statement on Sunday.
It's up to IOA to declare India's interest in hosting the Olympic Games while the government provides financial backing to build the required infrastructure. After India's record-shattering performance at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, the legendary Indian athlete said that the country should bid for the 2036 Olympics.
It will be a historic achievement for the PT Usha-led IOA if India succeeds in winning Olympic hosting rights. Since the opening edition of the Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, only four Asian cities Tokyo (1964 and 2020), Seoul (1988), and Beijing (2008) have hosted the Summer Olympic Games.
Paris is hosting the upcoming 2024 Olympics while Los Angeles is selected to organize the 2028 edition of the biggest and most prestigious multi-sport events.
However, after a string of controversies around the hosting process, the IOC formed a Future Host Commission to select the host city. In 2021, the Future Host Commission announced Australia's Brisbane as a hosting city for the 2032 Olympics and is reportedly having dialogues with potential cities interested in hosting the 2036 Games.
