Hong Kong has ‘window of opportunity’ for 2036 Olympics bid
A group hoping to launch a bid to bring the Summer Games to Greater Bay Area welcomes IOC president’s decision to revisit bidding process
Photo: Josh Ball
The group behind a potentially audacious bid to bring the 2036 Olympics to Hong Kong said the IOC president’s decision to revisit the bidding process “created an important window of opportunity” for the city.
On Friday, Kirsty Coventry announced she had paused the fast-tracking of a preferred bidder, a signature policy of predecessor Thomas Bach, in a concession to International Olympic Committee members who have wanted more say in decisions under new leadership.
That was seen as not only stalling the momentum India was believed to have built as favourites to win hosting rights, but also opening the door to a Hong Kong-driven bid to bring an Olympics to China for a third time.
A working group, comprised of business leaders and sports officials, has quietly been building support behind the scenes, with the intention of bidding to stage the Games in the Greater Bay Area.
In a statement sent to the Post on Saturday, it said “discussions to date have been extremely positive and, from our perspective, heading in the right direction”.
Photo: Edmond So
Sources said business chambers in the city had reacted positively to the group’s proposal, while influential figures in several sporting governing bodies had given it serious consideration.
But the group said any meaningful steps needed to be “co-ordinated in view of the forthcoming National Games this November”.
The Games will feature eight of the 34 events in Hong Kong Kong – the men’s under-22 basketball, track cycling, fencing, golf, men’s handball, rugby sevens, triathlon and beach volleyball – with others in Guangzhou and Macau.
One of the group’s main themes in its early discussions has been the infrastructure already available, pointing to the example of Kai Tak Sports Park, which has already hosted Olympic sports, such as football, rugby sevens and fencing.
“The National Games is an event of major national significance that rightly commands the full attention and resources of all the parties concerned,” the group said. “It will showcase Hong Kong and the GBA’s ability to host a successful sporting event of magnitude.
“In this context, the IOC’s decision to revisit and potentially revise the Olympic bidding process is a timely and encouraging development. It creates an important window of opportunity for Hong Kong and the GBA to present themselves as an integrated region to deliver a perfect Olympic offering.
“The 2036 Working Group is of the modest view that this offering is significant from the perspective of the IOC at a time when considerations of stability, safety, sustainability and the technical ability to deliver are very important considerations.”
In total, some 10 places are believed to be interested in staging the 2036 edition, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Turkey. China has hosted an Olympics twice before, with Beijing staging the Summer Games in 2008 and the Winter version in 2022.