India’s quest to host the 2036 Olympic Games moved a step forward on Wednesday after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved a revised host selection process that will culminate in a final decision in mid-2029.
The decision was ratified during the IOC’s 146th Session in Lausanne following a proposal from IOC Future Host Commission chair Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic. The new framework introduces an additional “Strategic Dialogue” phase aimed at increasing transparency, strengthening financial scrutiny and ensuring better cost control among bidding nations.
India is currently in the Continuous Dialogue stage after submitting its Letter of Intent to host the 2036 Olympics in 2024, with Ahmedabad emerging as the proposed host city.
Under the revised process, interested parties will be shortlisted for the Strategic Dialogue phase in March 2027. Candidate hosts will then be required to complete a Future Host Questionnaire and submit core financial guarantees before progressing to the Targeted Dialogue stage in 2028.
“Preferred host will have to update their submission. They will also have to submit a full set of guarantees. The final decision on the host for the 2036 Games will be taken at the session in mid-2029,” Grabar-Kitarovic said.
The final shortlist will undergo further evaluation before the IOC membership votes on the host city during a session scheduled for mid-2029.
The changes are intended to help potential hosts develop projects in a more cost-efficient manner while providing governments with greater planning certainty and time to build public support.
IOC announces $10,000 grant for future Olympians
The IOC also unveiled the Fit for the Future Olympian Grant, under which every eligible Olympian competing from the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics onwards will receive a grant of USD 10,000 for each Olympic Games appearance.
The programme is expected to benefit around 14,000 athletes per Olympiad and will be administered through National Olympic Committees. The grant will be available to all Olympians, regardless of whether they win medals, provided they have not committed anti-doping violations or breached IOC ethics rules.
The IOC expects the application process for Milano Cortina 2026 athletes to open later this year, with the first payments scheduled for 2027.
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