New Delhi: India is now officially one of seven countries in the race to host the 2036 Olympic Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) named the seven on Tuesday, 6 October 2026. A day later, on Wednesday, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) unveiled the theme of India’s bid, “Rising Together”, with Ahmedabad in Gujarat as the proposed host city.
Table of Contents
What happened
The IOC said seven countries are in what it calls Continuous Dialogue for the 2036 Games. In alphabetical order, they are Germany, Hungary, India, Qatar, the Republic of Korea (South Korea), South Africa and Turkiye. Continuous Dialogue is the early stage of the IOC’s hosting process. Think of it as an open conversation that comes before any shortlist.
All seven have been invited to present their plans to the IOC’s Future Host Commission in November, the IOC said, according to PTI. This commission is the IOC panel that studies possible hosts. The IOC also said it will not consider any new country for 2036 after 31 October 2026. On the same day it published a handbook for possible 2036 hosts, Sportstar reported.
The IOC added that a number of other national Olympic committees are in talks about hosting future Games beyond 2036, without any commitment.
India’s pitch: Rising Together
On 7 October, the IOA released its vision for the bid in a press release. IOA president P T Usha said, “For us, ‘Rising Together’ is not simply a slogan,” adding that it is “a powerful commitment to unite India’s energy, ambition and diversity behind a shared Olympic dream.”
She said India wants a Games that “reflects the confidence of a young, dynamic and rising India.” She also said the IOA looks forward to presenting India’s plan to the Future Host Commission “for the first time at the end of October.”
Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya put it simply. “India’s ambition for 2036 is rooted in a simple idea: that sport can help shape the future of our nation,” he said, as quoted by India Today and Outlook. He added that hosting the Games would inspire millions of young Indians to take up sport and would create new chances in education and jobs.
According to the IOA, the plan aims to get young people to move “from watching sport to practising it.” It also argues that India would connect the Olympic movement with one of the world’s youngest and most digitally connected populations.
Key details and dates
How bids will be judged
The IOC said it will look at technical points such as:
- The plan for venues and how good the experience will be for athletes.
- How the Games will be paid for.
- Political and public support in the country.
- The ability to deliver the Games on time.
- Legacy, meaning the long term benefits for the people of the host region.
It will also look at each country’s overall vision and how well the plan fits local development goals.
The road to 2029
- 31 October 2026: last date for any new country to join the 2036 race.
- November 2026: online presentations by the seven to the Future Host Commission. The commission will then visit the proposed host regions and report to the IOC Executive Board.
- By March 2027: IOC feasibility checks on each plan.
- March 2027: the Executive Board opens the next stage, called Strategic Dialogue, for a shortlist.
- December 2028: talks with a small number of preferred hosts, called Targeted Dialogue.
- Middle of 2029: IOC members vote to pick the 2036 host.
Who else is in the race
India shares the list with Germany, Hungary, Qatar, South Korea, South Africa and Turkiye. The IOC has not ranked or shortlisted anyone yet. That will happen only in March 2027, when it decides who moves on to Strategic Dialogue.
Background
Why Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad is already building for big events. It is set to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games. In May 2026, PTI reported that the key venues were on course to be ready by 2029. The Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave covers 335 acres and includes the Narendra Modi Stadium, which can seat more than one lakh people. A 12,000 seat aquatics centre, a 24,000 seat tennis venue and an 18,000 seat indoor arena are being built there. A 50,000 seat athletics stadium is planned at the Gujarat Police Academy in Karai, near Gandhinagar.
How India got here
India sent its Expression of Interest to host the 2036 Games in 2024. After Kirsty Coventry was elected IOC president, she paused the selection process to review it and take fresh feedback from members. The new rules were approved by the IOC Executive Board and backed by IOC members at their meeting in Lausanne in June 2026, Sportstar reported. India has never hosted the Olympics.
“Wherever the Games take place, one thing must never change: athletes have to be at the heart of everything we do,” Ms Coventry said.
Fresh from the Asian Games
The bid news comes days after India’s campaign at the Asian Games in Aichi Nagoya, Japan, which ended on 4 October. India won 85 medals there: 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze, according to the government’s Press Information Bureau. The team had 501 athletes, and more than 300 of them were at their first Asian Games.
The government’s national sports policy, Khelo Bharat Niti, launched on 1 July 2025, sets its sights on excellence at the 2036 Olympics. PIB also says the government has outlined a ten year plan of over Rs 36,000 crore for sports facilities across the country.
What it means for you
For now, nothing changes on the ground. No host has been chosen, and the final vote is almost three years away. But the next few weeks matter. India’s first presentation to the IOC is due by November, and the IOC’s feedback will shape what comes next.
If India wins, it would be the first Olympics held in the country. The IOC will judge India’s plan on funding, public support and legacy. So the coming months should show how the money would be found and how the venues would be used after the Games.
Want to know more about India’s Olympic journey? Read the stories of Abhinav Bindra, India’s first individual Olympic gold medallist, and boxer Mary Kom, or take a look at the history of sports and games in India.
FAQ
Has India been chosen to host the 2036 Olympics?
No. India is one of seven countries in early talks with the IOC. The host will be picked by a vote of IOC members in the middle of 2029.
Which city would host the Games?
Ahmedabad in Gujarat is India’s proposed host city.
Sources
- PTI via The Hindu, India, six other countries express interest to host 2036 Olympics; to present Games projects in Nov.: IOC, 6 October 2026
- Sportstar, IOC sets 2036 Olympics host selection timeline as India remains in race, 6 October 2026
- India Today, Rising Together: How India plans to pitch its 2036 Olympics hosting bid, 7 October 2026
- Outlook India, Mansukh Mandaviya, PT Usha say India’s 2036 Olympics bid will centre on Rising Together vision, 7 October 2026
- Press Information Bureau, PIB Backgrounder: Asian Games 2026, 6 October 2026
- PTI via The Economic Times, Commonwealth Games 2030: Key venues such as SVP complex set for completion by 2029, 23 May 2026