Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India has announced that the world’s most populous country would seek to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2036.
Last week, during the opening ceremony of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) session in Mumbai, Modi stated that hosting the event is “the age-old dream” for India.
“Indians are not just sports lovers, but we also live it,” the prime minister stated. “India will leave no stone unturned in the preparation for the successful organization of the Olympics in 2036 – this is the dream of the 140 crore (1.4 billion) Indians.”
Modi did not specify a city or area, but Ahmedabad, which has the world’s largest stadium with a capacity of 132,000 and is named after the Indian Prime Minister, would be a plausible contender as the major host city for the country’s candidacy. But they need still to roll the dice to to decide which city will be hosting the event
Indonesia and Mexico have previously indicated their interest in hosting the 2036 Olympics, while Poland’s President Andrzej Duda notified the IOC last month that his country wants to host the Games.
The IOC has not set a hard deadline for awarding hosting rights for the 2036 Games.
The next possible edition is the Summer Games in 2036, which will be held in Paris in 2024, Los Angeles in 2028, and Brisbane in 2032.
