The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced a list of seven countries in the running to host the 2036 Summer Olympics, including Qatar and India. The others are South Africa, Germany, Hungary, Turkey and South Korea.
According to the IOC, other countries still have until 31 October to express their interest. The list comes as the host selection process enters a phase of preparation for the next steps.
Qatar, which hosted the 2022 football World Cup and the 2006 Asian Games — and will stage the Asian Games again in 2030 — is showing its ambition to become an Olympic host. If selected, it would be the first Olympics in the Gulf region, though the timing could have to be moved later than the traditional July-August window because of hot weather conditions.
India has declared its intention to host the Olympics for the first time, with a focus on the city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat state — the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The city will host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, seen as an important rehearsal for an Olympics. Ahmedabad is also home to the world's largest cricket stadium.
South Africa, which hosted the 2010 football World Cup and the 1995 Rugby World Cup, has never staged the Olympics. Meanwhile, the German Olympic committee voted last month to choose Munich as its candidate city, aiming for an Olympics held a full century after the 1936 Berlin Games associated with the Nazi regime.
Turkey is aiming to improve on its performance in the race for the 2020 Olympics, when Istanbul finished second behind Tokyo. South Korea and Hungary are also on the list of potential candidates.
On the selection timetable, the IOC said its Executive Board will draw up a shortlist of interested parties in March 2027, after which candidates will enter dialogue with the body. Assessment criteria include financial capacity as well as political and public support.
A preferred host will be announced in 2028, and a final decision is expected in mid-2029.
Speaking about the process, IOC President Kirsty Coventry, a former swimmer from Zimbabwe, stressed: "Wherever the Olympics are held, one thing never changes: athletes must be at the centre of everything we do. That is why, for every future host, delivering the best possible experience for the athletes must always be the starting point."
Meanwhile, the 2028 Summer Olympics will take place in Los Angeles, and Brisbane has been awarded the 2032 edition.
