India's 2036 Olympic Games hosting dreams hit major roadblock following IOC president announcement
IOC President announces new Olympic Games host selection process
Former swimming champion Kirsty Coventry became the first woman and African to be elected as the president of the International Olympic Committee this year, and the first major decision in her new role could have halted India’s hopes of hosting the 2036 Olympic Games.
India announced their intention of hosting the Olympic Games a few months ago, and while they were expected to face stiff competition from the likes of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, among others, the popular consensus was that they had a very good chance of being awarded the rights to stage the Games.
However, Coventry has now altered the original plans by pausing the fast-tracking of preferred bidders for hosting rights, marking a significant shift from the policy of former IOC president Thomas Bach. She announced:
“There was an overwhelming support from the IOC members for a pause to be done and a review of the future host election process, and we will be setting up a working group to look into this. There was a lot of discussion on when is the appropriate time to elect a future host. And also how we should be selecting a future host”
After submitting an official Letter of Intent to host the Games, an Indian delegation, which includes Sports Secretary Hari Ranjan Rao, agreed to visit Lausanne in July to open discussions about the hosting rights. Speaking on the visit, Coventry mentioned:
"We want all interested parties to be a part of this pause and reflect and of this review. I am aware of the delegation coming next weekend - that will continue. They might be the first interested party for us to ask a couple of questions and to better understand from them. There is not going to be a specific pause on that but just on the entire process.”
The IOC president added that the Games’ recent host selections, such as Los Angeles (2028), Brisbane (2032) and the French Alps, which were awarded hosting rights for the Winter Games in 2030, would act as case studies to aid with future decisions.
Coventry looking for greater role from Global South
While initial reactions to Coventry’s announcement to halt the selection process for the 2036 Games were mixed, the new IOC President went on to mention that her job was to ensure that all interested parties were given a fair chance to be considered.
She added that historically, the “Global South have not been represented at all” and that the decision to pause would allow nations more time to prepare, as opposed to being ruled out of contention with up to 10 years to go before the Games in question actually take place.
Notably, the French Alps were only awarded hosting rights for the 2030 Winter Games last year, which is a much shorter lead time compared to, for example, Brisbane, which has already been selected to stage the 2032 Summer Games.
Therefore, all factors considered, while Coventry’s decision to pause the decision for the 2036 edition of the Games feels like something of a blow to India right now, it could turn out to be a welcome development, as it will allow the nation to better prepare and close the ground on competitors who may already have a head start on them.
