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The International Olympic Committee announced on Tuesday that seven countries, including Qatar, Germany, and India, are competing to host the 2036 Summer Olympics, with a shortlist of candidates to be prepared in March 2027.
The list of interested countries also includes Hungary, Turkey, South Africa, and South Korea, with the Committee currently holding preliminary talks with them, while some countries will move to the strategic dialogue phase before preparing the shortlist.
International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry said, "Athletes must be at the heart of everything we do," emphasizing that providing the best possible experience for athletes must be the starting point for any country seeking to host the Games.
Qatar, which previously applied to host the Games in Doha, aims to become the first Arab country to host the Olympic Games, after hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup. India, the world's most populous country, also aspires to host the Games for the first time.
Hungary, which submitted a bid to host the 2024 Olympics, has never hosted the Games before, while Munich, Germany, previously hosted the 1972 Olympics.
Istanbul seeks to win the hosting after five previous unsuccessful attempts, while South Africa aspires to become the first African country to host the Olympic Games, benefiting from its experience in organizing major sporting events, including the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
South Korea hosted the Summer Olympics in Seoul in 1988 and the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang in 2018.
The preferred host countries are scheduled to be announced after the dialogue phase ends in 2028, with the final decision on hosting to be issued in mid-2029.
The deadline for any other interested country to submit its application ends on October 31, but the emergence of new candidates seems unlikely as the deadline approaches.
The rules for selecting the host country have changed this year under Coventry's presidency, with the introduction of the strategic dialogue phase and increased participation of International Olympic Committee members in various stages of the process. It is also likely that more than one preferred host country will be selected, unlike the previous mechanism where the Executive Board recommended a single country.
Los Angeles will host the Summer Olympics in 2028, followed by Brisbane, Australia, in 2032.
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