Seven Countries, One Prize: The Race to Host the 2036 Olympics Is Officially Under Way

LAUSANNE — Seven countries are in preliminary talks with the International Olympic Committee to host the 2036 Summer Olympics, the IOC confirmed on 6 October 2026, opening a contest that will run for nearly three more years before a winner is chosen in mid-2029.

Illustration: A modern Olympic host-city stadium at dusk, with flags of bidding nations waving above the track.

What Happened

India, Germany, and Qatar are among the seven interested parties, the IOC said in a statement reported by Reuters on 6 October 2026. Hungary, Turkey, South Africa, and South Korea complete the list. All seven are in preliminary talks with the IOC under its revamped, dialogue-based host-selection process, which replaced the old head-to-head bidding contests.

The timeline is long and deliberate. A shortlist is to be drawn up in March 2027, with some countries progressing to a strategic dialogue phase. Preferred hosts will be named in 2028, and a final decision is expected in mid-2029, according to the IOC. Any other interested country had until 31 October 2026 to come forward, though Reuters reported that new candidates looked unlikely with less than four weeks before that deadline.

The announcement matters now because it turns a vague field of rumoured bids into an official race — and because the 2036 Games carry unusual symbolic weight. They will mark 100 years since the Berlin Games of 1936, and the host will be the first Summer Games organiser chosen entirely under the IOC's newer, lower-cost selection model.

Background

The IOC overhauled how Olympic hosts are chosen after a string of expensive, bruising bid races left cities with white-elephant venues and voters hostile to the Games. Under the current system, a Future Host Commission holds confidential, rolling dialogue with interested parties, and the IOC's executive board can elevate a preferred host for election by the full IOC session — without a fixed campaign calendar or a single vote between rival cities.

The two next Summer Games are already fixed: Los Angeles will host in 2028, and Brisbane, Australia, will stage the Games in 2032. That makes 2036 the next open prize, and the field reflects how widely Olympic ambition has spread. India, with Ahmedabad as its expected centrepiece, is bidding to host the Games for the first time. Qatar, which staged the 2022 football World Cup, has argued that most of its venues already exist. South Africa is exploring a multi-city bid that would bring the Summer Games to Africa for the first time.

Germany, Hungary, Turkey, and South Korea each bring their own histories: Germany last hosted the Summer Games in Munich in 1972; South Korea hosted in Seoul in 1988 and has since staged a Winter Games in Pyeongchang in 2018; Turkey has bid repeatedly without success; Hungary's capital, Budapest, has never hosted.

Illustration: Olympic rings above a stylised world map showing candidate host cities across several continents.

Why It Matters

The choice of a 2036 host is about far more than sport. An Olympics reshapes its host city for a generation: transport networks, housing, and tourism are all rebuilt around the event, and the bill — even under the IOC's promise of cheaper Games — runs into billions of dollars. For a first-time host such as India or South Africa, the Games would be a statement about national arrival; for Qatar or Germany, they would be a chance to reuse existing infrastructure and prove the new model can work.

The race also tests the IOC's own reforms. President Kirsty Coventry, herself a two-time Olympic swimming champion, has emphasised that athletes remain at the heart of host decisions. But critics of past selections will watch whether the confidential dialogue process delivers genuine scrutiny — on costs, climate, and human rights — or simply moves old bid politics behind closed doors.

Climate is a live question in this race. Qatar has previously faced questions about staging summer sport in extreme heat, and any host in a warming world must now plan for athlete safety in temperatures that would have been unthinkable a generation ago. Scheduling, venue cooling, and event timing are all likely to feature in the dialogue phase.

Illustration: Athletes parading into an Olympic stadium at an opening ceremony, flags and colours of many nations on display.

What Happens Next

The next formal marker is the shortlist in March 2027, when the field narrows and the surviving candidates enter strategic dialogue — a deeper phase in which the IOC tests venues, budgets, and guarantees. Preferred hosts follow in 2028, and the final decision is expected in mid-2029, giving the winner seven years to prepare.

Between now and then, expect the quiet phase to get louder. National Olympic committees, city governments, and sports ministries typically use the dialogue period to announce venue plans, funding pledges, and public consultations — and to probe rivals' weaknesses. Countries that miss the 31 October 2026 window for new expressions of interest are out of this race, though the IOC has said interested parties may still emerge for later editions.

For sports fans, the practical upshot is simple: the map of the Olympic movement for the late 2030s is now being drawn, and the seven names in the frame span four continents. Wherever the Games land, the decision will say as much about the IOC's direction as about the winning city.

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FAQ

Which seven countries are in the race for the 2036 Olympics?

According to the IOC statement reported by Reuters on 6 October 2026, the seven are India, Germany, Qatar, Hungary, Turkey, South Africa, and South Korea.

When will the 2036 host be decided?

A shortlist is due in March 2027, preferred hosts will be named in 2028, and a final decision is expected in mid-2029, according to the IOC.

How is this different from old Olympic bidding?

The IOC now uses rolling, confidential dialogue with interested parties through a Future Host Commission, rather than a fixed campaign ending in a head-to-head vote between rival cities.

Which cities will host the next two Summer Games?

Los Angeles hosts in 2028 and Brisbane, Australia, hosts in 2032, so 2036 is the next Summer Games available to a new host.

Has Africa ever hosted the Summer Olympics?

No. No African city has ever hosted the Summer Olympic Games, which is part of why a South African bid would be historic if it succeeded.

Sources

• Reuters, "India among seven countries vying for 2036 Olympics, IOC says," 6 October 2026.
• IOC statement on the 2036 host dialogue, 6 October 2026 (as reported by Reuters).