India among six bidders for 2038 Asian Games, OCA decision by 2028
India will have to wait until at least 2028 to know whether its bid to host the 2038 Asian Games has been successful, with the Olympic Council Asia (OCA) confirming that six countries have expressed interest in staging the event.
India submitted its Expression of Interest in April as part of its wider push to host major international sporting events. The country is also bidding for the 2036 Olympics and will host the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the opening of the 2026 Asian Games, OCA Director General Husain Al-Musallam said the process would involve multiple rounds of evaluation before a final host is recommended.
“We have received interest from India, from Philippines and from other four countries to host the Asian Games in 2038. This shows the popularity of the Asian Games,” Al-Musallam said.
“There are 12 more years to go. The calendar is well-established. The executive board has taken a decision to create an evaluation committee to visit all those (bidding) countries next year and then submit initial report,” he added.
The OCA had discussed India’s EOI at its executive board meeting in Sanya, China, in April. The organisation now plans to begin physical evaluations of the interested nations before narrowing down the field.
Al-Musallam said the first round of visits will be followed by a shortlist, before another evaluation takes place closer to the 2038 Games.
“Based on the initial report, we will have a short list and then go for another visit nine or 10 years before 2038 and then submit the final report (recommending the host),” he said.
The Philippines is among the countries confirmed to have expressed interest, while South Korea had first indicated its intention to host the 2038 edition in 2021, with Gwangju and Daegu proposed as venues. Mongolia has also reportedly shown interest, although its formal EOI status is unclear.
India has considerable Asian Games history. New Delhi hosted the event in 1951, when the inaugural edition was held, before returning as host in 1982.2038 BID IN BIGGER PUSH
The 2038 bid forms part of India's broader ambition to host more major sporting events. Doha is scheduled to host the 2030 Asian Games, followed by Riyadh in 2034, with both editions awarded together by the OCA in 2020.
The 2026 Asian Games will be held from September 19 to October 4, with around 11,000 athletes expected to participate alongside approximately 6,000 support staff.
The scale of the Asian Games makes the 2038 bid particularly significant. The 2023 Hangzhou edition featured more than 11,000 athletes competing across 40 sports, underlining the logistical demands of hosting the continental event.
For now, India’s bid remains at the expression-of-interest stage. The OCA's evaluation committee is expected to visit the interested countries next year, with the first major assessment and subsequent shortlist set to shape a process that could ultimately determine the 2038 host only closer to 2028.- EndsPublished By: Debodinna ChakrabortyPublished On: Sep 18, 2026 11:11 IST
