NEW DELHI: India is among a host of countries interested in hosting the Olympic Games in 2036, 2040 and even beyond, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach has said.
The IOC recently announced that the city of Brisbane will host the 2032 Summer Games.
Even after Brisbane, Australia, was chosen last month to host the 2032 Summer Games, the IOC enjoys a queue of suitors to host the Olympics in 2036, 2040 and even beyond, PTI quotes Bach as having said in a report in the Wall Street Journal.
Those aspiring hosts include India, Indonesia, Germany and Qatar, the report added.
“And this is just the ones which come to my mind. So we are really in a very good long-term position,” Bach was quoted as saying by the WSJ.
Bach’s comments have come at a time when escalating costs, running into billions of dollars, of staging the quadrennial Games has sparked debates.
Indian Olympic Association (IOA) secretary general Rajeev Mehta confirmed to PTI that they indeed had shown interest in hosting the showpiece event.
“In a meeting of an IOC Commission via video conference before Tokyo Olympics, IOA had expressed interest in hosting Olympics in 2036 and beyond,” Mehta said.
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had, in March this year, said they would make every effort and upgrade the infrastructure to successfully bid for the 2048 Games, to mark 100 years of independence.
India has shown interest in hosting the Olympics as part of a long-term hosting strategy that also includes the 2030 Asian Games and the 2026 Youth Olympic Games.
