Seoul eyes another turn as Olympic host in 2036

The Seoul 1988 Summer Olympics, the only boycott-free Summer Games of the decade, featured astonishing performances from Kristin Otto, Janet Evans, Matt Biondi, Florence Griffith Joyner and Steffi Graf just to name a few. Now it appears Seoul is ready for an Olympic encore.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is expected to announce the metropolitan government’s eagerness to host the 2036 Olympic Games.

Mayor Oh is expected to meet with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach this week when Bach arrives for the Association of National Olympic Committees General Assembly. He will then travel to Lausanne, Switzerland during his upcoming European tour to officially announce Seoul’s intention to host in 2036.

The original thought was a joint 2032 bid with North Korean capital Pyongyang, however that plan was scrapped last year. Brisbane, Australia was awarded the hosting rights for the 2032 Summer Olympics.

Seoul is no stranger to hosting major international events, having been one of the host cities of the FIFA 2002 World Cup along with hosting the 1986 Asian Games.

A recent survey by the government found over seven out of 10 Seoul citizens would welcome a return of the Olympics.

“We surveyed to find out what our citizens want after the plan to jointly host the Olympics with Pyongyang got canceled last year,” said a member of the metropolitan government.

The results of the survey of 1,000 Seoul residents were overwhelming positive for an Olympic return. Over 81 percent said it would bring more tourists to the city, along with improving the sporting infrastructure and enhancing the city’s brand value.

The main areas of concern were the costs of hosting the Games along with an increase in traffic.

The IOC has made stadium sustainability a key issue for future Olympic host cities, and Seoul believes only two stadiums would need to be newly built for six sports. Current stadiums within the city can be used for 13 sports, while those in Gyeonggi Province and Incheon can be used for an additional nine sports.