Coventry szemszögéből India 2036-os Olimpiai tervei

Mike Keegan of the Daily Mail newspaper asked Coventry about the support she had received from female International Olympic Committee members, possibly including renowned philanthropist Nita Ambani, and whether she believed it would be inappropriate for India’s 2036 bid to be fast-tracked to a specific dialogue stage before Thomas Bach steps down as IOC president. "I would like to let that sink in for a few days. There is a process in place, that process has been ongoing, and as far as I know, it will continue for the next few months," she replied.

As the German prepares to hand over the baton to Coventry after 12 years at the helm, Bach leaves behind a financially robust yet highly centralised organisation. The former fencer has managed to resolve the crisis over a lack of bids to host the Olympic Games, though his successor will now face mounting scrutiny over the selection process.

If the 71-year-old Bavarian were to highlight a particular achievement, it would likely be the “double-digit number” of territories now expressing interest in hosting the Summer Olympics in 2036 and 2040—two of the first major decisions Coventry will oversee. "We have never been in such a favourable position," Bach told AFP in May 2024, a stark contrast to the bidding crisis that dominated the early years of his presidency.

In 2013, Tokyo won the right to host the 2020 Olympics ahead of Istanbul and Madrid. Beijing followed in securing the 2022 Winter Games, with  Kazakhstan's Almaty as its sole competitor. In 2017, Paris and Los Angeles divided the 2024 and 2028 editions between them without contest. By late 2014, Bach had introduced a series of reforms to make Olympic hosting more attractive, prioritising the use of existing infrastructure over costly new developments.

Outgoing IOC President Thomas Bach congratulates Coventry. GETTY IMAGES

While bid announcements are no longer mandatory, the race for the 2036 Games presents new opportunities for the Lausanne-based organisation. India and South Africa have formally declared their interest, alongside Indonesia, South Korea, Germany, Hungary and, potentially, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Under Bach’s leadership, the IOC’s executive board has made critical decisions behind closed doors—from its handling of Russian athletes following the invasion of Ukraine to pre-selecting host cities for the 2030, 2032 and 2034 Games. Meanwhile, IOC sessions have largely served to rubber-stamp these choices, often with near-unanimous approval and minimal debate. The controversial selection of Brisbane for the 2032 Games, for example, could prove a test for Coventry’s presidency.

Most IOC presidential candidates pledged to return greater decision-making power to committee members, though few outlined a concrete plan. The consensus, however, has been a shift back towards a more traditional Olympic bidding process, where multiple technically viable bids are assessed before a final decision is taken in a plenary session.

With that in mind, Coventry’s next steps will be closely watched—not just by IOC members but also by stakeholders in the 2036 Games. A key question remains: will she maintain Bach’s approach of allowing a “preferred bid” to bypass competition and enter exclusive negotiations?

If no changes are made to the process and IOC members remain excluded from selecting the host city, India is widely seen as the frontrunner. Coventry was directly asked about the influence of Ambani within the IOC, given her family’s status as one of Asia’s wealthiest.