New Delhi, October 6, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India’s bid to host the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games has entered the next stage after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) unveiled the roadmap for selecting the host, with India among seven interested parties currently in dialogue with the global sports body.
The IOC on Tuesday published a handbook outlining the selection process, with its Executive Board scheduled to shortlist interested parties for the next phase by March 2027.
According to the IOC, India, Germany, Hungary, Qatar, the Republic of Korea, South Africa and Türkiye are currently engaged in continuous dialogue over their interest in hosting the 2036 Olympic Games.
India has been pursuing the opportunity to bring the world’s biggest sporting event to the country for the first time. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) formally submitted a Letter of Intent to the IOC’s Future Host Commission on October 1, 2024, expressing interest in hosting both the 2036 Olympics and Paralympics.
The Future Host Commission oversees the process of selecting hosts for future Olympic Games, with the final decision to be taken by IOC Members through a multi-stage procedure.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry said the experience of athletes must remain at the centre of the selection process.
“I was fortunate to compete at five Olympic Games, across four continents. Each had their own character,” Coventry said.
She added that every host had brought something unique through its people, culture and approach to staging the Games, but stressed that the athlete experience must remain the starting point for every future host.
Under the new roadmap, interested parties will make virtual presentations to the Future Host Commission in November 2026. Feasibility assessments are scheduled to be completed by March 2027, after which the IOC Executive Board will begin a Strategic Dialogue with shortlisted projects.
The bids will be assessed on several technical and strategic parameters, including venue masterplans, athlete experience, funding strategies, political and public support, Games delivery capabilities and long-term legacy plans.
The IOC will also evaluate each project’s vision for the Games, its alignment with local development plans and its compatibility with the broader objectives of the Olympic Movement.
The process is scheduled to enter its final stage in December 2028, when the Executive Board will open a targeted dialogue with a select group of preferred hosts.
The Preferred Hosts will subsequently submit final responses to the IOC questionnaire along with a complete set of guarantees. IOC Members are scheduled to elect the host of the 2036 Olympic Games at an IOC Session in mid-2029.
The IOC has set October 31, 2026 as the deadline after which no new interested parties will be considered for the 2036 Olympics.
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