Carlos Sainz, winner of the Dakar 2024, and the President of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso.

The president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, raised the possibility of the region hosting the 2036 Olympic Games after the securing of a Formula 1 Grand Prix. "We are working on it," she said. That would be more than four decades after the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

During the tribute to the winners of the 2024 Dakar Rally, Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz, held at the regional government headquarters, the President of Madrid said: "Very good years are coming to Madrid that will go down in history".

Díaz Ayuso mentioned that the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Madrid will demonstrate "the immense capacity" that Madrid has to host major events, and added: "Who knows if it will help us to attract other major events? The Olympics perhaps? We're working on it," she said. 


The Paris Games will take place next summer, while the 2028 Games have been awarded to Los Angeles (USA) and the 2032 Games to Brisbane (Australia). Madrid could be in the running to host the 2036 Olympics. The games are likely to be held in Europe.

So far, four bids have been submitted to host the world's biggest sporting event in 2036. India, Mexico, Indonesia, Turkey and Poland have already submitted bids, although Qatar is the clear favourite to host the event.

Since 2019, the mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez Almeida, has expressed his desire to host the Olympic Games on several public occasions. He has stressed that the capital owes this opportunity to the four failures of previous bids, especially the one for 2020, in which Madrid was the favourite, only to be beaten by Tokyo.



"We have always said that it is an ambition of this city and I'm convinced that sooner or later we will host the Olympic Games. The city is ready, but for me it's also important that the whole of Madrid society has a high level of acceptance for the formulation of this bid," Almeida explained. 

In the 1960s, the Spanish capital applied to host the Olympic Games, which were eventually awarded to Munich in 1972. In 2005, the city bid again for the 2012 Games. But it did not make it to the final vote, which went to London.

Madrid's four failed bids for the Olympics
Madrid's four failed bids for the Olympics

The 2016 bid was submitted a year later, using the project prepared for the previous bid. Madrid reached the final vote alongside Rio de Janeiro, but the Brazilian city doubled Spain's score. 

There was a fourth attempt by the Spanish capital. Madrid was the favourite to host the 2020 Games, but didn't even make it past the first round, losing out to Istanbul in the tie-breaking vote. Tokyo was eventually awarded the games, but the coronavirus caused a one-year delay.