Poland will be making a bid to host the Summer Olympics in 2036., said Polish President Andrzej Duda during his address to the second European Congress of Sports and Tourism in the mountain resort of Zakopane on Wednesday.
A decision from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will come in 2026, but Poland’s head of state hopes that 13 years will be enough time to prepare for such an event. He said that he would be sending a letter to the head of the IOC to formalize the bid.
Poland has experience organizing major sporting events. In 2012, it hosted the UEFA EURO Championship in men’s soccer, jointly with Ukraine. It also organized the multi-disciplinary European Games in Kraków this year and the Volleyball World Championships in 2014.
At the Zakopane Congress, it was announced that Poland would be hosting the Volleyball World Championship again in 2027.
Already in the running for the 2036 Olympics are Mexico, Indonesia and Turkey. Candidates have until 2025 to file their applications. Also rumored to be considering a bid are Egypt, South Korea, Qatar, Hungary, Denmark, Italy, and Germany and Israel jointly.
The next Olympic Games will take place in 2024 in Paris; the two following games will be held in Los Angeles, USA, (2028) and Brisbane, Australia (2032).
Poland previously applied to host the 2006 Winter Olympics in Kraków and Zakopane but was defeated by Italy’s Turin.
