IOA backs India’s bid to host 2036 Olympics
The Indian Olympic Association has welcomed the IOC’s process to select a host for the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games. India’s bid, centred on Amdavad, Gujarat, aims to use the Games to drive sporting participation and wider social transformation.
Published Date - 7 October 2026, 04:17 PM
Hyderabad: The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) welcomed the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) announcement earlier this week of the cities and countries participating in the process to select a future host of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2036.
India’s Olympic and Paralympic ambition, centred on Amdavad, Gujarat, has been developed through close and constructive engagement with the IOC over the past 18 months.
“Rising Together”, India’s vision, reflects the belief that 2036 can be a moment of mutual rise, when India’s transformation through sport and the Olympic Movement’s universal future come together through the Games.
For India, hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games would be a generational opportunity to place sport at the heart of national life. The project is designed to act as a catalyst for a wider sporting transformation, inspiring millions of young people to move from watching sport to practising it, supporting healthier and more active communities, and making sport a driver of education and professional opportunities.
By bringing the Games to India, the ambition is not only to stage a global event, but also to help embed sport more deeply into everyday life and create a legacy that reflects India’s energy, youth and belief in the power of sport to transform society.
For the Olympic Movement, bringing the Games to India in 2036 would be a chance to enter a new era of universality, connecting the Olympic and Paralympic Movements with one of the world’s youngest, most dynamic and digitally connected populations. It would unlock tremendous potential, opening the Games to more than a billion people and bringing new athletes, new audiences and new partners to the Olympic family.
By coming together, united in purpose, India and the Olympic Movement can create a momentous event in their history, in a festival of life and colour celebrating India’s unmatched cultural diversity.
P T Usha, President of the Indian Olympic Association, said: “We are deeply honoured by the IOC’s recognition of India’s vision and aspirations for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2036, and proud to be part of an exceptional group of potential hosts for future editions of the Games.”
Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Labour and Employment and Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, said: “India’s ambition for 2036 is rooted in a simple idea: that sport can help shape the future of our nation. Hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games would inspire millions of young Indians to participate in sport, strengthen healthier and more active communities, and create new opportunities for our youth across education, employment and social development.”