India's bid for the 2036 Olympic Games could feature the world's largest stadium as a centrepiece, though it may not host any sporting events. The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, with a capacity of 132,000, is more than three times the size of Chelsea's Stamford Bridge and over one-and-a-half times as large as Munich's Allianz Arena.
India's Olympic bid and Ahmedabad's role
India is one of seven bidders for the 2036 Games, alongside Qatar, South Africa, South Korea, Germany, Hungary and Turkey. The bid names Ahmedabad as the potential host city, which will already host the 2030 Commonwealth Games. Ahmedabad is the home city of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Early signs suggest the stadium would only be used for the opening and closing ceremonies, with other venues hosting the sporting events. The Narendra Modi Stadium is primarily used for cricket, having hosted the men's World Cup final in 2023 and the T20 World Cup final in 2026.
Plans for a sports complex
The Olympic bid has been accompanied by plans for the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave, a wide-ranging sports complex. These plans include a 12,000-capacity aquatics centre, a tennis centre and an indoor arena for gymnastics and basketball.
India has never hosted the Olympic Games, a situation shared with four of the other bidders. The exceptions are Germany, which has hosted the summer Games twice, and South Korea, which hosted in 1988.
Official support for the bid
In 2023, India's minister of youth and sports affairs Anurag Thakur outlined the country's intention to launch a bid. Even then, Ahmedabad was earmarked as the host city, and IOC chief Thomas Bach offered an encouraging stance.
“That’s up to India. Here, our doors and hearts are wide open,” Bach told CNBC-TV18. “Yes, there is a strong case for the reasons I am giving and seeing how India is flourishing and developing and how India now is embracing Olympic sports. So, there is great potential for both. India can play a much more important role in the Olympic movement and for the Olympic movement to have such a growth potential as with India. It’s of course very welcome.”
