The second-most populated country in the world is considering a bid to host the 2036 Summer Olympics.
“If India is making news in every sector, from manufacturing to services, then why not in the field of sports?” the country’s sports minister Anurag Thakur told the Times of India.
- India will prepare a hosting plan for an ICO session in Mumbai next year.
- The country is working with the Indian Olympic Association to submit a bid.
- It has previously hosted the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games.
- India has a population of roughly 1.4 billion people behind China’s 1.45 billion.
Other potential bidders for the 2036 Olympics include Indonesia, South Korea, and Qatar, which just hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup amid controversy shrouding the treatment of migrant workers and the acceptance of LGBT fans at the tournament’s matches.
Germany is also considering a bid to host the 2036 Olympics, but the opportunity has been met with public outcry within the country.
Battle of Attrition
The 2030 Winter Olympics could be hosted by Salt Lake City by default following a bribery scandal in Japan and British Columbia pulling its support for Vancouver to submit a bid.
In August, a former member of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics board, Haruyuki Takahashi, was arrested following allegations of receiving bribes from Olympic sponsors. His arrest caused Japan to pause its promotion of a bid for Sapporo — the country’s fifth-most populated city.
On Monday, Takahashi was granted bail for $603,000, according to public broadcaster NHK.
