Ethics in Sports: Navigating Public Accountability, Sports-washing, and Social Responsibility in India’s 2036 Olympics Bid

India’s bid to host the 2036 Olympic Games presents a paradigmatic opportunity to examine the ethics of mega-event hosting in emerging democratic economies. This article employs a tripartite analytical framework to investigate three interrelated dimensions: the distributive justice implications of public expenditure, the risk of sports-washing as a mechanism of political legitimacy construction and the role of civil society protest as a democratic accountability mechanism. Drawing on discourse analysis, comparative case studies of Brazil (2016), South Africa (2010) and Beijing (2008), and Rawlsian justice theory, the article critically evaluates under what conditions Olympic hosting can be ethically justified given India’s persistent developmental challenges. The analysis reveals that ethical Olympic hosting demands a fundamental transformation of planning approaches to embed democratic accountability, transparent governance and sustainable development priorities. An Integrated Olympic Ethics Framework is proposed, incorporating mechanisms for participatory planning, anti-sports-washing safeguards and institutionalized civil society engagement. The article contributes a structured evaluative tool applicable to mega-event hosting decisions in emerging democracies more broadly, extending beyond India’s specific context to generate generalizable policy insights. Findings suggest that Olympic legitimacy in emerging democracies ultimately rests not on spectacle but on the demonstrable alignment of hosting decisions with principles of distributive justice and democratic governance.