Khun Ying Pattama Leesawadtrakul, IOC member, revealed that Indonesia and the Philippines plan to join forces to bid to host the Summer Olympics in 2036.
On 12 Dec 2025 GMT+7, Khun Ying Pattama Leesawadtrakul, IOC member, disclosed that Indonesia and the Philippines intend to jointly bid to host the 2036 Summer Olympics. Meanwhile, the IOC has begun the selection process for the 2030 Youth Olympic Games host city. Three candidate cities—Asunción, Paraguay; Bangkok, Thailand; and Santiago, Chile—are being invited to discuss details before a single city is chosen by mid-2026.
Khun Ying Pattama Leesawadtrakul, International Olympic Committee member, stated that the IOC has started the selection process for the 5th Summer Youth Olympic Games in 2030. It plans to invite three capable cities—Asunción in Paraguay, Bangkok in Thailand, and Santiago in Chile—to discuss details together.
The IOC member added that the IOC’s key criteria for evaluating readiness include alignment with long-term local and national plans for sports development, education, and health, aiming to deliver broad economic and social benefits to communities. Ultimately, only one city deemed most prepared will be selected to host the 5th Summer Youth Olympic Games in 2030, with a decision expected by mid-2026.
The 4th Summer Youth Olympic Games in 2026 will take place from 31 October to 13 November next year in Dakar, Senegal. This event was postponed from 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additionally, Khun Ying Pattama said that Patrick Gregorio, chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission, and Eric Thohir, Indonesia’s Minister of Youth and Sports, have discussed the possibility of jointly bidding to host the 2036 Summer Olympics. Their goal is to bring the Olympic Games to Southeast Asia, a region with over 700 million people.
This idea, currently in the brainstorming and goal-setting phase, requires approval from the presidents of both countries. Thohir plans to raise this issue at the upcoming sports ministers’ meeting on Bali Island, Indonesia, in February next year. Meanwhile, Gregorio has informally presented the concept to Philippine President Marcos and Bambol Tolentino, chairman of the Philippine Olympic Committee, receiving positive responses.