Ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi revealed India’s ambition to host the Olympic Games in 2036 during the International Olympic Council’s (IOC’s) Congress in Mumbai last year, the ambition now finds place in the BJP’s election manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

In the section titled ‘Modi ki Guarantee for Sports Development’, the party document says: ‘We will facilitate IOA to bid for hosting the Olympic Games in 2036, and develop sports infrastructure like stadiums and state-of-the-art training centres to host major international sporting events.’

Revealing India’s hopes to host the 2036 Games during the IOC Congress, Prime Minister Modi stated that the administration would “leave no stone unturned” in getting the Games to the country for the first time.

During that event, Modi had described hosting the Olympics as the “age-old dream and aspiration of 140 crore Indians,” with IOC president Thomas Bach in attendance.

“India is eager to host the Olympics in the country. India will leave no stone unturned in the preparation for the successful organisation of the Olympics in 2036, this is the dream of 140 crore Indians. This dream has to be fulfilled with your cooperation and support,” Modi had told the IOC delegates. “I am very confident that India will get consistent support from the IOC.”

The Olympics will be held in Paris later this year, with the next two editions scheduled to be held in Los Angeles (2032) and Brisbane (2032).

While PM Modi stopped short of revealing the candidate city, it is believed that Ahmedabad could be the front-runner, and accordingly the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave – which also houses the Narendra Modi Stadium – is projected as one of the main venue clusters.

Besides India, Indonesia and Turkey have also expressed interests to host the 2036 Games, with no timeline decided yet on the final decision.

During the IOC Congress, Modi had also said that India is “eager” to host the Youth Olympic Games in 2029 as a precursor to the Olympics. However, according to the IOC’s four-year scheduling, Senegal will host the Youth Games in 2026, and the next edition is slated for 2030.