The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Hungary, India, Qatar, South Africa, South Korea, Germany and Türkiye have signalled their intention to host the Summer Games.

Countries have until 31 October to submit formal bids, although the IOC does not expect any additional candidates to enter the race.

The host will be chosen through a multi-round bidding process, with the IOC expected to announce its decision in 2029.

A successful bid would give Hungary the opportunity to host the Summer Olympics for the first time. Budapest has previously made unsuccessful bids to stage the Games, most recently for 2024, when the city withdrew its candidacy before the final vote. 

Two-thirds of Hungarians back Budapest Olympics - survey

Two-thirds of Hungarians are in favour of a hypothetical 2036 Budapest Olympic and Paralympic Games, according to a recent survey from pollster Median.

Endre Hann, Median's managing director, told MTI that 64 percent of respondents said they are "completely" or "somewhat in favour" of Budapest hosting the Olympics. The survey, commissioned by the Hungairan Olympic Committee, was carried out with a sample of 1,000 adults, supplemented by an additional 500 in Budapest, he said.

"We did the first one in autumn 2024, and opinions on the prospective hosting rights have improved significantly since," Hann said. "This year there has been an even greater improvement, which may be connected to the change of government and the brighter, more positive public mood that followed."

Citing the survey, Hann said fully 60 percent of Hungarians now believed things in the country were generally going "in the right direction", a shift from the past when the majority said the country was on the wrong track.

It was important, Hann said, that Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony had already come out in favour of involving the public in discussions on Budapest potentially hosting the event.

Another important point, he said, was that the hosting of the Olympics "no longer figures as the fulfilment of one man's dream -- namely former prime minister Viktor Orban's".

"It is far more a project for a country, a nation, which means former opposition voters, who now find themselves supporting the ruling party, can be won over to the idea," he added.

The International Olympic Committee announced on Tuesday that Hungary, India, Qatar, South Africa, South Korea, Germany and Turkiye have signalled their intention to host the 2036 Summer Olympics.

Photo: International Olympic Committee

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