Mayor of Seoul, South Korea, reaffirms enthusiasm for hosting the 2036 Olympics: Will a second Seoul Olympics come true amidst so many rivals?

Last December, Mayor Oh Sehun of Seoul, the capital of South Korea, announced on his social media that he would begin full-scale activities to ensure that the city would host the 2036 Summer Olympics.
Seoul hosted the Summer Olympics in 1988. It is aiming for a second time, and Oh wrote on social media, "The 1988 Seoul Olympics was a historic moment that showed the strength and potential of Korea.
"The 2036 Seoul Olympics will be another historic milestone that will showcase soft power and a vision for the future," he said. The city recently conducted a survey to prepare for the bid.
The costs and benefits of holding the event were calculated, and the cost-performance ratio was found to be 1.03. A ratio above 1 is considered economically viable.
In addition to South Korea, other countries such as India, Indonesia and Turkey have also expressed interest in hosting the games, and a fierce bidding battle is expected to ensue.
Seoul had originally aimed to co-host the 2032 Summer Olympics with North Korea's capital, Pyongyang, but the city has agreed to postpone the event until June 2021.
In September, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided at its general assembly to propose Brisbane, Australia as the host city, and the bid failed. The following month, the IOC decided to hold the 1932 Olympics in Brisbane.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government has changed its goal to hold the 2036 Olympics exclusively, and Wu said at the National Olympic Committees of Korea (ANPC) meeting held in Seoul in October 2022 that the city will hold the 2036 Olympics exclusively.
Wu met with IOC President Thomas Bach, who was in Korea to attend the IOC General Assembly. Seoul expressed its intention to try to host the 2036 Summer Olympics. Afterwards, Wu visited Switzerland, where the IOC headquarters is located, and
He visited Lausanne in 2013 and formally announced his intention to host the Olympics to the international community. He also inspected the Paris Olympics held this summer, and later posted on his social media account a picture of the Seine River flowing through Paris and the Hague River flowing through Seoul.
Comparing the Han River to the Seine, he said, "The Han River is much cleaner and more beautiful than the Seine, and will attract attention from around the world if the Olympics are held there."
The city of Seoul has set a goal of holding the "Recycled Olympics," and has said it will not build new stadiums to host the Olympics.
The plan is to either utilize existing stadiums or set up temporary stadiums with seating in existing spaces, as was done for the Paris Olympics this summer.
According to South Korean media, the Korea Sports Academy will hold a training session from May to November 2024.
In April, a "pre-feasibility study for the 2036 Seoul Olympic bid" was conducted. The results showed that the cost-benefit ratio (B/C) was 1.03, exceeding the 1 required for economic feasibility.
Seoul City has calculated that the cost of hosting the Olympics will be 5.833 trillion won (approximately 551.8 billion yen), which it says is significantly lower than the cost of previous Olympics held since 2000.
The plan, including the results of the project, was recently submitted to the Korean Olympic Committee. In December, Mayor Wu posted on his SNS, "We are working on the Seoul Olympics in earnest.
"The results of the pre-feasibility study have clearly demonstrated the economic feasibility. We will work to create a sustainable Olympic Games," he wrote in his post.
"The Olympic Games, the Olympics where the city and the environment are in harmony, and the world where everyone is connected through sports are the values that the Seoul Olympics can show," he said.
"We look forward to a bright future in which we can all work together to bring the Olympics to fruition," he said. In addition to South Korea, India, Indonesia, Turkey and other countries have also expressed interest in hosting the 2036 Olympics.
India's Prime Minister Modi expressed his intention to seek to host the 2036 Olympics in person, in front of IOC members, at the IOC General Assembly held in Mumbai, India in October 2023.
The Indian Olympic Committee (IOA) has officially announced its bid to host the 2036 Olympics. The host city will be Ahmedabad, the largest city in the western state of Gujarat, where Modi is a former member.
If the Olympics are held, it will be the first time that India will host both the summer and winter Olympics. As a leader of the emerging and developing countries known as the "Global South," hosting the Olympics will boost India's national power and
The government hopes to further increase its presence in the country. It is likely to become the biggest rival for South Korea, which is aiming to host the 2036 Olympics. A fierce bidding battle is expected to unfold in the future.
The support of the Seoul citizens and the Korean people is encouraging. The city conducted a questionnaire survey of 1,000 people nationwide, including 500 Seoul residents, from July to August last year. The results showed that 85.2% of Seoul residents and 1,000 people nationwide supported the plan.
With this public opinion as a driving force, the city plans to step up its bid.