Thomas Bach can start packing his bags with a light heart: the future looks bright on the Olympic bid front. And his departure from the presidential office next June should not change the course of history.

Two pieces of news, from two very distant parts of the planet, have reinforced the trend in recent days. They concern two successive editions of the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The first one does not bring anything very new, except a confirmation. But it is important. The daily India Today reports, based on a source close to the matter, that the Indian Olympic Committee (IOA) has formalized its candidacy for the 2036 Summer Games by sending a letter of intent to Lausanne. Drafted on October 1, it was sent to the future host committee of the body.

According to the source cited by India Today, "this monumental opportunity could bring substantial benefits, promoting economic growth, social progress and youth empowerment across the country."

India is therefore officially in the race, having entered into a dialogue phase with the IOC, failing to launch into the campaign, a concept now excluded from the Olympic vocabulary. Nothing really new. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself launched the process in October 2023, taking advantage of the IOC session being held in Mumbai to openly display the country's ambitions.

Since then, things have continued as they were. PT Usha, the president of the National Olympic Committee, recently recalled on her X account: an IOA team was present at the Paris 2024 Games as part of the observer program proposed by the IOC. The Indians are therefore well in the loop.

Problem: The Indian Olympic Committee is currently going through a rough patch. Weakened by internal quarrels, it took months to appoint a CEO, and has been unable to provide Lausanne with its annual accounts. As a result, the IOC has suspended its subsidies to the IOA under Olympic Solidarity. If the national Olympic committee were suspended, which is not completely impossible at this stage, the bid for the Summer Games would be consigned to the dustbin of history.

Another piece of news, more distant: Germany continues to think about the Games. Not really a scoop. But, new this week, it is thinking about it at the highest level and has now set a date.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has publicly taken a position in favour of a bid, not mentioning the 2036 edition, which is too directly associated with the Nazi Games in Berlin in 1936, but rather the next one.

« In 2040, Germany will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its reunification, he said earlier this week in Berlin. There is no better opportunity to hold the Games in Germany. It is time. We have tried several times since Munich in 1972. Next time, I think it should work. Our message is clear: politicians support the Olympic Games in Germany. ».

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser drove the point home, using the Paris 2024 Games as an example to highlight the impact that the Olympic and Paralympic event could have on society. "In France, all children in all schools will in future be able to exercise for 30 minutes a day, she noted. A lot of money has been invested in sports facilities ».

What's next? Very immediate. The German Olympic Committee (DOSB) is due to meet on 7 December for its annual general assembly. On the agenda: setting up a timetable for a bid for the Games. Logically, a host city, or region, will be chosen next year. The German government has already agreed in principle to provide funding of €6,95 million until 2027 for the bid campaign.