After securing the rights to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, and submitting a bid for the 2036 Olympics hosting rights, India has now reportedly expressed interest in hosting the 2038 Asian Games. As per a report by the Indian Express, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has written to the Olympic Council of Asia, expressing its interest in hosting the 2038 Asian Games. Notably, the hosts for the 2026, 2030, and 2034 Games have already been decided with 2026 being hosted in Japan, 2030 in Doha and 2034 in Riyadh.

IOA CEO Raghuram Iyer spoke to The Indian Express, and said, “We are interested in bringing the Asian Games to India. We are in touch with the OCA and have written to them expressing our interest. We will be in dialogue with the OCA.” Sources suggest that India’s proposal to host the 2038 edition of the games was discussed at the Olympic Council of Asia’s Executive Board meeting in China. The evaluation team is likely to visit India for the initial round of assessment.

India already has secured hosting rights for 2030 Commonwealth Games

For the unversed, IOA has already secured hosting rights for the 2030 edition of the Commonwealth Games. The quadrennial tournament will be held in Ahmedabad, and the Indian government has made a huge investment in the development of sporting infrastructure in Ahmedabad foreseeing the 2036 Olympics. Per reports, the sporting events will be hosted at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave, which is situated near to the Narendra Modi Stadium.

“Ahmedabad will already have a lot of venues ready in the next three to four years. These venues are being built to foster a sporting culture. If India wins the bid to host the 2036 Olympics, the Asian Games will be the perfect legacy event as most of the venues can be reused for that," an anonymous official told The Indian Express.

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“And, by any chance, if India does not get the 2036 Olympics, hosting the 2038 Asiad would mean that the infrastructure would be put to good use, and at the same time, the country can gain enough hosting experience to aim for future Olympic," it added.

Notably, the last time India hosted the Asian Games was in 198 and the inaugural edition of the continental event in 1951, both in New Delhi.