2036 Olympics: India and Qatar among seven bidders confirmed by IOC

The race to host the 2036 Olympics is officially under way, with India and Qatar confirmed among seven bidders competing to stage the Summer Games.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced the list on Tuesday, marking a return to a traditional, contested bidding process. Alongside India and Qatar, the other countries in discussions are South Korea, Germany, Hungary, Turkey, and South Africa.

This multi-city race represents a major shift in how the Olympics are awarded. The IOC aims to decide the 2036 host in 2029 through a vote of its 100-plus members. It is a deliberate departure from the fast-track, closed-door process that handed the 2032 Games to Brisbane 11 years in advance without a contested vote.

That change in direction is being driven by Kirsty Coventry, the two-time Olympic swimming champion who is taking over as IOC president in June 2025. Coventry’s move to pause the secretive, fast-track system came after IOC members made it clear they wanted a genuine choice between multiple candidates on the ballot, rather than simply rubber-stamping a single preferred option chosen by the executive board.

The 2036 bidding timeline

Prospective hosts have until 31 October to enter the race, with the IOC publishing a 30-page guidance document to outline the bidding framework.

The next major milestone comes in March, when the IOC executive board will approve a shortlist of candidates to develop detailed projects. That will trigger a two-and-a-half-year campaign leading up to the decisive vote in 2029. The IOC has also kept the door open for these discussions to extend toward the 2040 and even 2044 editions for those who miss out.

Where the Olympic bids are centred

India’s proposal centres on Ahmedabad, a city already scheduled to host the multi-sport Commonwealth Games in 2030. The centrepiece of the bid is the world’s largest cricket stadium, named after Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Indian sports administrators spent time during the Paris 2024 Games actively lobbying and promoting their plans.

Qatar's bid is based in Doha, fresh off the back of hosting the 2022 World Cup and world championships across several Olympic sports. However, a Qatari Games would face a major logistical hurdle: the weather. The Summer Olympics have been held in July and August for every edition since Athens 2004, a window that would be virtually impossible for Qatar due to extreme summer heat. Any successful Doha bid would likely require shifting the entire Olympic calendar to cooler months, and the bid could yet expand to send some events to Gulf neighbours.

Germany is proposing Munich, which hosted the Games in 1972, while South Korea’s bid is anchored in 1988 host city Seoul. Hungary is pitching Budapest, and Turkey is offering Istanbul. South Africa’s bid, centred on Cape Town, represents a chance to bring the Summer Olympics to Africa for the first time in the modern era since the Games were founded in 1896.

Who gets to vote on the 2036 host

The eventual vote will feature some high-profile figures. The IOC's 100-plus members include sports administrators, royals, politicians, and business leaders. Among those eligible to cast a ballot are Nita Ambani, from India’s wealthiest family, and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Both countries hope their influential representatives can help tip the scales during the long campaign ahead.