Mexico took the next step towards hosting its second Olympic Games by handing an official letter of interest to International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach at his headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland Friday.
Bach was visited by Mexican Olympic Committee (COM) President Mary José Alcalá and Secretary of Foreign Affairs Marcelo Ebrard who were in the Olympic Capital on the 100th anniversary of Mexico’s inclusion in the Olympics.
“I had the honor of presenting Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, with Mexico’s Letter of Intent to organize the Olympic Games in 2036-40. Mary José Alcalá, President of the Mexican Olympic Committee and 4-time athlete in the Olympic Games, was present,” Ebrard posted to his Twitter account.
The parties met to discuss the bid and attendees included IOC’s Director of Future Olympic Games Jacqueline Barrett, Mexico’s UN representative Francisca Méndez, the head of the Office of the Secretary Daniel Millán and COM General Secretary Mario García de la Torre.
“This initiative is motivated by the historical moment that Mexico is experiencing, in which the best values of our people have been revalued and our society has become more participatory,” Ebrard told Bach according to a COM statement.
According to COM, Bach “thanked Mexico for its interest in organizing some Games and offered support and advice from the IOC to Mexico during the different stages of the candidacy.”
He “explained that the new vision of the IOC promotes the organization of Olympic Games that take advantage of the existing sports and accommodation infrastructure in the potential venues.”
Mexican officials affirmed that most required facilities are already in place across the country and that they are preparing to form a broadly represented bid committee to move forward with the candidacy.
En el @iocmedia, nuestro Canciller @m_ebrard y la presidenta de nuestro Comité @maryjosealcala le entregaron al presidente Thomas Bach la Carta donde se formaliza la intención de México de ser sede de los próximos Juegos Olímpicos 2036 o 2040. pic.twitter.com/2b6aWxkfyJ
— Comité Olímpico MEX (@COM_Mexico) March 24, 2023
According to Mexico’s Vivo Noticias, Ebrard quoted the letter of interest stating “Mexico has, in various cities and regions, the sports, economic, and hotel infrastructure to celebrate successful, austere, and universal Olympic Games that promote the values of peace, brotherhood, and justice in the what we believe.”
No single city has been identified as a a possible host but under new IOC rules adopted in 2019 Olympic events can be staged across regions in multiple cities to help promote sustainability, reduce costs and maximize legacy opportunities.
Mexico announced the launch of the bid in October last year, revealing that Bach had encouraged the nation to bid and claiming that officials were already engaged in preliminary discussions.
Mexico City hosted the Olympics in 1968, and the nation welcomed the FIFA world cup in 1970 and 1986. Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey are preparing to stage further World Cup matches in 2026 along with cities in United States and Canada.
There is no set timetable for the awarding of the 2036 Olympics now that the IOC has implemented a non-binding dialogue based approach to finding suitable partners for future Games. However, Bach has said that the next Summer Games host will likely be selected by his successor after his presidential term ends in 2025. Recently IOC officials have claimed at least 10 parties have expressed interest in hosting and those are thought to include South Korea, India, Indonesia, Germany, Qatar, Hungary, Turkey, Mexico, Egypt and U.K.
