GENEVA (AP) — The ambitions of India and Qatar to host the 2036 Olympics were confirmed on Tuesday by the IOC among seven bidders in the race.

India and Qatar have long been seen as favored candidates in a hosting contest the IOC aims to decide in 2029 by a contested vote of its 100-plus members.

The International Olympic Committee said South Africa, South Korea, Germany, Hungary and Turkey also are in talks about a future hosting option with the 2040 edition and even 2044 also in view.

“But wherever the Games take place, one thing must never change: Athletes have to be at the heart of everything we do,” said IOC President Kirsty Coventry, a two-time swimming gold medalist.

The IOC set an Oct. 31 deadline for other national Olympic bodies to join the 2036 contest.

India’s bid plan centers on the city of Ahmedabad, which will host the multi-sport Commonwealth Games in 2030, and has the world’s largest cricket stadium which is named for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Qatar has hosted world championships in most top-tier Olympic sports, including soccer’s 2022 World Cup. Its bid could yet expand from Doha to send some events to Gulf neighbors.

A Qatar-hosted Olympics should require the Summer Games to move from the July-August slot it has occupied at each edition from 2004 in Athens through 2032 in Brisbane.

The key date is in March, the IOC said, when the Coventry-chaired executive board will approve a shortlist of candidates to develop detailed projects.

The 2029 target date for a contested vote is a return to the IOC’s previous long-time schedule and process to pick Summer Games hosts.

It is also later than seemed likely last year when Coventry was elected, and both India and Qatar seemed poised to push for a quick decision. They and other national Olympic officials promoted their bid plans in Paris during the 2024 Olympics.

Coventry’s first big decision on taking office in June 2025 was to pause the fast-track process, and more secretive one, which allowed Brisbane to be picked as the 2032 host fully 11 years in advance and without a contested vote.

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