GENEVA — The prospect of India hosting the 2036 Olympics encountered a temporary hurdle on Thursday with newly appointed International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry’s first major ruling. Coventry announced a pause in the fast-tracking approach for selecting a preferred Olympic bid, diverging from the strategies of her predecessor, Thomas Bach, in response to calls for a more inclusive decision-making process from IOC members.
Coventry emphasized that IOC members expressed a preference to be more actively involved in selecting Olympic hosts, noting significant backing for a comprehensive review of the existing procedures and timetable for choosing future Olympic venues.
India had been seen as a strong contender among at least ten candidates competing for the 2036 Games, a group that includes Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Istanbul in Turkey. However, Coventry, now in her third day in office, assured the establishment of two working groups to examine the host selection process and address issues related to “protecting the female category,” especially following the contentious events in women’s boxing at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics set in Los Angeles, Coventry, a double Olympic champion swimmer, reiterated a commitment to uphold the Olympic ideals, despite criticisms from various quarters, including former U.S. President Donald Trump, who recently highlighted concerns about the city’s condition. At a press event following her chairing of the IOC executive board meeting, she voiced the importance of the games in promoting humanity and compassion through diversity, aiming to inspire the youth.
The organizers from Los Angeles met with Coventry’s board, advocating for a collaborative effort in a city previously marred by tensions following immigration protests. Coventry expressed a belief in the commitment from all levels of government, including the federal, to maintain the integrity of Olympic values.
Regarding the 2036 Olympics decision, following Los Angeles in 2028 and Brisbane in 2032, the former was selected a decade earlier in a notably secretive process to avoid the pitfalls of expensive bidding campaigns and prospective negative media attention, such as local rejections or accusations of corruption. This method preferred negotiations with potential hosts without a stringent timeline. Under this system, India’s bid, championed by influential IOC member Nita Ambani from Asia’s wealthiest family, seemed poised for success.
However, Coventry faced competition during the election she won in March from candidates who pledged to engage more with the wider IOC membership than Bach did during his presidency. As her leadership commenced in intimate sessions with over 70 IOC members in Lausanne, the selection process for 2036 has entered a period of re-evaluation. Nevertheless, Indian representatives are set to proceed with a pre-arranged visit to the IOC next week.
The athletes’ election introduced new contenders for two IOC member slots, voted by athletes during the Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics in February. Olympic champions such as Chinese pairs figure skater Cong Han, Canadian ski cross athlete Marielle Thompson, Ukrainian aerials skier Oleksandr Abramenko, and Swiss cross-country skier Dario Cologna are set to feature in the vote, with the winners serving as members until at least the 2034 Salt Lake City Winter Games.
In medal news from the 2012 London Olympics, Shannon Rowbury from the USA was acknowledged as the bronze medalist of the 1,500-meter race nearly 13 years later, following the reallocation of results due to a doping violation affecting the initial winner, Tatyana Tomashova. Former runners, including Abeba Aregawi of Ethiopia and Maryam Yusuf Jamal of Bahrain, were elevated to silver and gold medal statuses, respectively.