India, Qatar among seven bidders for 2036 Olympics
GRAHAM DUNBAR (AP Sports Writer) |
India and Qatar’s ambitions to host the 2036 Olympic Games have been confirmed by the IOC, among seven bidders in the race.
India and Qatar have long been seen as favoured candidates in a hosting contest the IOC aims to decide in 2029 by a contested vote of its 100-plus members.
The International Olympic Committee said South Africa, South Korea, Germany, Hungary and Turkey also are in talks about a future hosting option with the 2040 edition and even 2044 also in view.
“But wherever the Games take place, one thing must never change: Athletes have to be at the heart of everything we do,” said IOC President Kirsty Coventry, a two-time swimming gold medallist from Zimbabwe.
The IOC set an October 31 deadline for other national Olympic bodies to join the 2036 contest. It also published a 30-page document on Tuesday to guide bidders.
India’s bid plan centres on the city of Ahmedabad – a dry city with strict alcohol restrictions – which will host the multi-sport Commonwealth Games in 2030, and contains the world’s largest cricket stadium.
Qatar has hosted world championships in most top-tier Olympic sports, including soccer’s 2022 World Cup. Its bid could yet expand from Doha to send some events to Gulf neighbours.
A Qatar-hosted Olympics should require the Summer Games to move from the July-August slot it has occupied at each edition from 2004 in Athens through 2032 in Brisbane.
A South Korean bid would be anchored in Seoul, which hosted the 1988 Summer Games, and would spread across the country.
German Olympic officials last month picked Munich, which previously hosted in 1972.
South Africa’s bid shapes to be national and centred on Cape Town, and would be a first African host of the Summer Games since the modern Olympics was created in 1896.
Hungary and Turkey propose Budapest and Istanbul, respectively.
AP