Open for Bidding: The 2036 Olympic Games

Though the thrill of an Olympic Games can come and go in the blink of an eye, the host city bid process begins many years in advance. The 2026 Winter Olympic Games, for example, were awarded to Milano-Cortina during the 134th International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in June, 2019. The bid itself was unveiled in 2018.

Under President Kirsty Coventry, the host selection process was redesigned to encourage more involvement from IOC members. Previously, members were closed out of the Executive Board’s deliberations, with former President Thomas Bach appearing to singlehandedly call the shots. The 2036 Games will be the first awarded under Coventry, and as a result, it will become the proving grounds for the IOC’s new bidding rules.

The Process

Seven interested parties have entered the IOC’s Continuous Dialogue phase: Germany, Hungary, India, Qatar, South Africa, South Korea, and Turkey. As the host committees begin discussions with the IOC’s Future Host Commission, India and Qatar are seen as early favorites, while Germany and Hungary present as “safe” options.

The Continuous Dialogue phase will continue until March 2027 when a shortlist of confirmed bids is invited into Strategic Dialogue, a new stage where candidates provide core financial guarantees to the Future Host Commission while welcoming IOC members for site visits. In 2028, final candidates recommended by the IOC Executive Board will enter a Targeted Dialogue to provide comprehensive guarantees before members elect a winner in 2029.

The bidding for 2036 will serve as a bellwether for the desirability of the modern Games. How will candidates approach the IOC’s demand for financial guarantees - essentially blank checks that, in previous bid cycles, have killed otherwise promising candidacies? The end result will also demonstrate the Olympic Movement’s appetite for risk. With bids coming out of new regions including Africa, the Middle East, and India, will Coventry’s IOC go boldly into new markets, or play it safe in Europe?

The Field

Ahmedabad, India

The most aggressive public campaign for the 2036 Olympic Games has been from India. Following recent successes hosting major international events like the 2023 G20 New Delhi summit, the Indian government perceives their country’s bid as a reflection of national progress and growing influence on the global stage. The Ahmedabad bid hinges on the subcontinent’s enormous market potential, a slate of sporting events in the leadup to 2036 including the 2030 Commonwealth Games, and support from 2032 Olympic hosts, Australia, in the form of the India-Australia Sports Collaboration Roadmap.

Bringing the first Olympic Games to the world’s most populous nation should be highly appealing to the IOC. However, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has grappled with governance issues including Executive Board chaos in 2025 that led to a temporary pause in Olympic Solidarity payments (a form of revenue sharing between National Olympic Committees generated by the IOC’s broadcasting contracts). Additionally, high doping rates have elevated to Category A status with the global Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) - the same category as countries like Russia and Belarus.

To advance the Ahmedabad bid beyond Continuous Dialogue, the IOA must address its governance and integrity issues. They must also take steps to address their historically poor on-field performance: India collected just six medals in Paris in 2024. "In the Olympics, there are so many different sports...Indian teams don't even participate in half of them" said Prime Minister Neredra Modi, calling it a "bitter truth" on India’s National Sports Day on August 29.

Doha, Qatar

Riding the high of hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup and banking on an upcoming slate of international sporting events including the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup and the 2030 Asian Games, the bid from Doha is a competitive one that offers to bring the Olympic Games to the Middle East for the first time. The Qataris boast notable assets including 95 percent of required hosting infrastructure as of 2025, as well as a relationship between the IOC and the beIN Media Group, a Qatari state-owned sports and entertainment group holding exclusive MENA region broadcasting rights for the 2028 LA Olympics.

In September, Doha’s bid received a boost from an endorsement by the League of Arab States. Approving its support during a session in Cairo, the Arab League called on its 22 member states to support Qatar’s Olympic candidacy in international forums. In addition to putting the weight of the region behind the bid, the endorsement should disincentivize competition from Saudi Arabia and Egypt, who have considered bidding for 2036 themselves.

Concerns over Qatar’s summer heat were raised, among other issues, in its previous candidacies for 2016 and 2020, and was the reason for the 2022 FIFA World Cup moving to November. The move to a fall schedule could negatively affect the IOC’s broadcasting agreements, similar to the fallout from FIFA’s 2022 broadcast agreement with Fox. Still, Coventry has expressed openness to moving away from the typical mid-year slot to accommodate new regions interested in the Summer Games.

A more decisive factor in the IOC’s assessment of Qatar will be the reputational risk. The same criticisms of Qatar over migrant labor abuses that were so salient ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup will rear their heads again. It will be additionally difficult for the IOC’s messaging to navigate the perception, fair or not, that a Doha Games was awarded to the highest bidder. The petroleum-rich Arab emirate boasts some of the most extensive state-owned sports investments in the world and is often accused of using these to sportswash over human rights issues.

Image Credit

State Department photo by Ronny Przysucha/ Public Domain.

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A “Safe” Pick

As of this writing, all confirmed bids have come from regions of the world that have never hosted the Olympic Games. While this appeals to the idealistic goal of bringing the Olympic Movement to every corner of the globe, it also poses a level of risk that a circumspect organization like the IOC may not want to stomach. While these candidates will point to resumes that feature World Cups, Youth Olympic Games, and other mega events, IOC members will not forget the financial and logistical challenges of Rio de Janeiro 2016, the last time the Games went to a new continent.

Cities including Berlin, Munich, and Rhine-Ruhr, are currently making their arguments to the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) to be the country’s nominee for the 2036, 2040, or 2044 Games. When a domestic winner is selected, they will be a familiar face for the members of the IOC to consider, with Germany having hosted both in 1936 and 1972. Another potential candidate to emerge is Budapest, Hungary. While Hungary has never hosted an edition of the Games, Budapest’s sporting infrastructure is extensive and has been tested in recent bids for 2024 and 2028. Given the IOC’s familiarity with both countries, the candidacies that emerge will likely be seen as the “safe” choices.

Image Credit

State Department Photo/ Public Domain.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/statephotos/28736163311/in/photolist-oFqZbC-FBt5jF-KJbuPj-JWUQiU-JfMdNi-zA4Qm8-okfcaV-8hqFRo-P6JabF-P6Ja7H-peH39t-qwXzeR-KMjmcz-y4npdH-QMibZN-GhfcKa-drbi2N-8hcMZU-qYiSMU-n18VAu-88scqk-8aH2y1-876kZB-876kPX-NZgXkF-AEoX3j-pvhyFx-NZgWTP-niUg1y-dnJAQD-Ft4VU4-q7whZs-d6VHR7-BD6FhN-8ebQhA-a5b9PU-e5WvbQ-P6JbBB-8hcMW5-R4YNBM-8e8yPX-HeoGNB-o9R8uL-bipAeK-QBixRs-KRSMXD-HjdwxC-HP8fcL-nqpMuP-Mt8Ukh

Looking Ahead

In March 2027, the IOC will invite a shortlist of host cities to enter Strategic Dialogue. In addition to their public posturing and politicking, the next stage of the process will force host committees to look internally. By requiring serious candidates to sign core financial guarantees while its members attend site visits, the IOC will begin the process of sorting the wheat from the chaff.

As it stands, it is likely that Doha, Ahmedabad, and at least one European candidate will advance to this phase. Still, confirmed bids may fall apart - the bid from Jeonbuk, South Korea, for example, was left scrambling since the host committee announced plans to scale back its plans in favor of a co-hosting partnership with Seoul. The geopolitical landscape may also shift dramatically - what will the regional stability of the Middle East look like in March 2027?

Whichever way the current phase of dialogue concludes, bidding for the Games will be at its most competitive in recent memory. As the IOC evaluates for market potential, sustainability, and financial security, candidates will recite their resumes, highlight their stadiums, and open their checkbooks. When the Olympic flame is lit in 2036 and the Games declared open, it will also mark the close of a planning process over ten years in the making.