India, Japan could be next Asian hosts of the Olympics

Chungneijang Mery Kom Hmangte and Manpreet Singh, of India, carry their country’s flag during the opening ceremony in the Olympic Stadium at last year’s Summer Olympics in Tokyo. India could host the 2036 Summer Games. | Natacha Pisarenko/AP

BEIJING — The Olympics have said goodbye to Asia after a star-crossed run, and it’s unclear when they’ll be back after the continent hosted four of the last eight Games.

The earliest the Summer Games could return is 2036, and the favorite could be the world’s most populous country — not China, as you might expect, but India.