India has formally entered the race to host the Asian Games 2038, submitting an expression of interest to the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to bring the continent’s largest multi-sport event to Ahmedabad, a city that could by then be among the most battle-tested sporting venues in the world.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) submitted its proposal to the OCA during the executive board meeting in Sanya, China, on April 23. The OCA executive board formally welcomed the bid; its president Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani commended India’s ambition to stage Asia’s premier sporting event. The board has since decided to constitute an inspection and evaluation committee that will travel to India to assess Ahmedabad’s infrastructure and readiness.
IOA CEO Raghuram Iyer was measured about where things stand. “It’s only an expression of interest for now. They had an initial discussion, and they will tell us what to do going forward. There is no deadline for submission of bids,” he said.
There is a procedural wrinkle worth noting. The OCA is considering moving the Asian Games to odd-numbered years to align better with the Olympic cycle, by scheduling them a year before the Olympics. Under this plan, the 2038 Games could shift to 2039 while the 2030 and 2034 editions would move to 2031 and 2035, respectively. The calendar shuffle does not change the fundamentals of India’s bid; it only adjusts the marquee date. The final decision on the host city is expected at a meeting in Nagoya, Japan, this September.
India is not alone in the running. South Korea, proposing a joint bid from Gwangju and Daegu, Mongolia and Malaysia have also expressed interest. But India’s bid carries institutional weight that the others arguably cannot boast of at scale—a pipeline of mega events already underway and a city purpose-built, over the next decade, with a dream to host the Olympics 2036.
Last year alone, Ahmedabad hosted the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships, the Asian Aquatics Championships and the AFC U-17 Asian Cup Qualifiers. In 2026, it has already staged the Asian Weightlifting Championships and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final. The line-up ahead is even more consequential: the World Police and Fire Games in 2029, the centenary Commonwealth Games in 2030, an active Olympics bid for 2036, and now a formal expression of interest for the Asian Games in 2038.
The core of Ahmedabad’s biodata is the Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera, the world’s largest cricketing venue with a capacity to seat 132,000 people. The opening and closing ceremonies of the Asian Games could be hosted there. Around it, a 350-acre sports campus is taking shape.
The Gujarat government has acquired 650 acres across Motera and the adjoining localities of Sughad, Bhat and Koteshwar to build the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave, of which 280 acres is earmarked for new stadiums and practice facilities, 240 acres for an athletes’ village and 50 acres along the Sabarmati riverfront for reception and support infrastructure.
The Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Naranpura is a 21-acre, six-zone facility opened in September 2025 and built at a cost of Rs 825 crore. It houses an aquatics centre and tennis courts. The broader masterplan for the sports enclave includes three tennis show courts, an indoor athletics arena and an aquatics centre on the banks of the Sabarmati.
India last hosted the Asian Games in 1982 in New Delhi. The national capital had also staged the inaugural edition in 1951. An Ahmedabad edition in 2038/2039 would be a remarkable return.
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