Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul, an IOC member, revealed that the 146th IOC General Session approved an updated Olympic host city selection process designed for the future, with several Asian countries showing interest in submitting bids.
On 26 June 2026, Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul, a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), disclosed after attending the 146th IOC General Session in Lausanne, Switzerland, chaired by IOC President Kirsty Coventry, that the session endorsed reform measures detailing the Olympic host city selection process, to be implemented starting with the 2036 Summer Olympics.
IOC members supported the proposal from the Future Host Commission to add a Strategic Dialogue phase to the selection process, setting the target period for the 2036 Summer Olympics host city vote to mid-2029. This change builds on the successful dialogue approach introduced in 2019, emphasizing community benefit and sustainable project execution.
The Thai female IOC member added that interested cities will enter the Strategic Dialogue phase in March 2027 and must complete questionnaires and submit primary financial guarantees before advancing to the final evaluation stage called Targeted Dialogue. This new process establishes clear timelines for governments and Olympic organizations to reduce risks and manage all parties' expectations.
The new Strategic Dialogue phase during this transition allows the IOC Executive Board to select interested cities with well-developed projects aligned with IOC strategic directions to proceed to detailed evaluations. Recently, several Asian nations have expressed interest and are preparing bids to host the 2036 Summer Olympics.
Meanwhile, the IOC session also resolved to extend the terms of IOC members Lord Sebastian Coe and Tricia Smith until the end of their current mandates, as President of World Athletics and Chair of the Canadian Olympic Committee respectively. Additionally, they appointed Ivo Ferriani as an honorary IOC member after he stepped down as President of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation on 11 June.
Ferriani and Luke Tardif, President of the International Ice Hockey Federation, who has expanded global interest in ice hockey and is a close friend of Khunying Patama, both received the Olympic Order from IOC President Kirsty Coventry during the session.
Furthermore, during the meeting, Khunying Patama met with Casey Wasserman, Chair of the LA 2028 Olympic Organizing Committee, and Gene Sykes, Chair of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, to discuss progress and sports programs for the 2028 LA Olympic and Paralympic Games. She also consulted with IOC President Kirsty Coventry on IOC policies that continue to develop global sports.