Sebastian Coe, a man running to be the next leader of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), thinks India has a good chance to host the 2036 Olympic Games. The IOC is the group that runs the Olympics worldwide. But Coe says it won’t be simple because many other countries also want to host the event.
India has already taken its first big step by sending a “Letter of Intent” to the IOC. This is like saying, “Hey, we really want to host the Olympics and Paralympics in 2036!” They’ve been talking with the IOC for months, and now it’s official. Other countries like Poland, Indonesia, South Africa, Qatar, Hungary, Turkey, Mexico, and Egypt also want to host the 2036 Olympics, so there’s a lot of competition.
Coe, who is 68 and once won two Olympic gold medals for running, said, “Well, you won’t be surprised given my background to say that I’m obviously very happy that India is committed to global sport and particularly the Olympic movement. I’m very happy to hear that.” He’s excited India wants to be part of the Olympics. He added, “And look, it will be very competitive. It won’t be the only bidder, but the case that it (India) can make is a very strong case.” This means India has good reasons to host, but it’s not the only country trying.
The decision on who hosts the 2036 Olympics won’t happen until after 2026. It’ll be picked during the term of the new IOC president, who will be chosen on March 20, 2025, in a vote in Greece. Coe is one of seven people running for that job, and many think he’s the favorite. His mom’s dad was from Punjab, India, so he has a family tie there.
Coe also gave India some advice: Don’t give up if they don’t win the 2036 bid. He said, “Plenty of cities have bid and lost and come back.” For example, London beat Paris to host the 2012 Olympics, but then Paris hosted in 2024. Rio lost for 2012 but got the 2016 Games. Coe explained, “So it is by no means the end of the story. And even the legacy from bidding is an extremely strong legacy.” This means even trying to host leaves behind good things, like better planning or excitement for sports.
Over 100 IOC members will vote for the new president in Greece from March 18-21, 2025. Besides Coe, the other candidates are from Jordan, France, Sweden, Spain, Zimbabwe, and Japan.
Coe believes India and South Asia—a region where India is the biggest country—can help the Olympics grow by getting more young people into sports. He said, “I have witnessed in the last few years the growing importance of South Asia in athletics, and athletics is the centrepiece of Olympic movement.” Athletics means sports like running, jumping, and throwing.
He gave an example: “If you and I 10 years ago said to each other that the men’s Olympic javelin title would be being fought between athletes from Pakistan and India, I think we both would have smiled at each other and moved on.” He’s talking about Arshad Nadeem from Pakistan and Neeraj Chopra from India winning gold and silver in javelin—a sport where you throw a long stick—at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Coe thinks this shows Asia has tons of potential to shine in sports and bring more kids into healthy activities.
But he warned that Asia is huge and different everywhere. Countries like China, Japan, Qatar, and the Philippines all need different plans. He said, “You can’t say that the development programmes you have for China are going to be the same as you’re going to have in Bhutan. It just doesn’t work like that.” This means each place needs its own way to grow sports.
Coe also mentioned a talk he had with India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, last November. He said, “But I had a fascinating discussion with the honourable Narendra Modi, your prime minister. And the one thing we both agreed about was the absolute importance of using sport for health impacts.” They think sports can help kids and communities stay healthy, especially when many young people spend too much time on screens like phones or computers.
Coe added, “One thing that he and I both agreed about is that a sports policy is probably the most effective investment in health, education, social cohesion and economy.” This means putting effort into sports can improve people’s health, teach them things, bring them together, and even help make money. He believes Asia, especially South Asia, can help the Olympics grow while making its own communities stronger and healthier.
