New Delhi: Accepting India’s official bid to host the 2038 Asian Games in Ahmedabad, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) on Thursday decided to form an expert committee to review the on-site infrastructure, discuss logistical plans, and the allocated budget.
“The Executive Board of the Olympic Council of Asia welcomed the official bid submitted by the Indian Olympic Association to host the 2038 Asian Games in the city of Ahmedabad during its recent meeting in Sanya,” said OCA in a statement.
OCA president Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani and members of the executive board commended, “India’s ambitious vision to host the continent’s premier sporting event, expressing their appreciation for Ahmedabad’s bid to stage this Asian sporting celebration that brings together the continent’s finest athletes.”
In line with the OCA’s established procedures for hosting bids, the executive board decided to form an “Inspection and Evaluation Committee” comprising a select group of leading international and Asian experts.
“The Committee will visit Ahmedabad to conduct an on-site review of the city’s sports venues and facilities, operational and logistical plans, infrastructure readiness, and allocated budget.
The Committee will prepare a detailed technical report to be submitted to the OCA executive board to be discussed at the next EB meeting, scheduled to take place in Nagoya, Japan, in September 2026, coinciding with Japan’s hosting of the 20th Asian Games.
India have played a key role in organising the Asian Games and New Delhi held the first edition of the Games in 1951. The Games came back to New Delhi in 1982. If India gets to organise the multi-disciplinary Games in 2038, it will come back after more than five decades. Other countries who have shown interest in hosting the 2038 Games are South Korea and Mongolia. Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh will host the 2030 Asian Games, while Doha, Qatar, will stage the 2034 edition of the sporting extravaganza. OCA is also considering a proposal to reschedule the Asian Games and bring it a year preceding the Olympics to make it a qualification pathway..
India, however, have ambitious plans of organising multi-disciplinary sporting events. The 2030 Commonwealth Games have already been allotted to Ahmedabad, a city that also aspires to host the 2036 Olympics bid. Sporting infrastructure is being developed in the city to prepare for the 2030 CWG. With the arrangements in place to host a multisport event, the infrastructure can be put to use while boosting the economy through tourism and related businesses. India has been awarded the hosting rights for the 2028 World Indoor Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar.
The National Sports Policy 2025 recognizes the economic potential of sports and seeks to promote sports tourism and attract major international events to India. It endeavours to strengthen the sports manufacturing ecosystem, and promote startups and entrepreneurship in the sector.
