INDIA HAS FORMALLY taken a significant step in its long-term sports hosting ambitions by submitting an Expression of Interest (EOI) to host the 2038 Asian Games, with the proposal discussed at a recent Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Executive Committee (ExCo) meeting.
This development signals India’s growing intent to position itself as a global multi-sport event host, aligning with its parallel bids for the 2036 Olympics and confirmed hosting of the 2030 Commonwealth Games.
This is only an Expression of Interest and the submission is not a formal bid yet, but an initial step indicating intent.. The OCA officials have held preliminary discussions on India’s interest and further guidance on the bidding process is expected from the OCA.
Unlike some major sporting events, no strict deadline has been announced for submitting full bids.
This gives India flexibility to prepare infrastructure, political backing, and financial plans before formalising its candidature. The host city for the 2038 Asian Games is expected to be finalised around 2028, according to OCA officials.
Ahmedabad could emerge as the frontrunner because the city is already central to India’s 2030 Commonwealth Games hosting and 2036 Olympic bid. This indicates a clustered mega-event strategy, where infrastructure is reused, investments are amortised across events and urban transformation is accelerated.
