Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had confirmed India would bid for the 2036 Olympic Games in its attempt to bring the world’s biggest sporting event to the country. While addressing the opening ceremony of the 141st session of the International Olympic Committee in Mumbai, Modi said that India would leave “no stone unturned” in its bid to host the 2036 Olympics.
“Indians are very excited about hosting the Olympic Games. This is the age-old dream of 140 crore (1.4 billion) Indians. It is their aspiration. We want to realize this dream with your collaboration and support. I am confident that India will get the support of the IOC,” he said. He added that Indians are not just sports lovers but also live it and that the country is also eager to host the Youth Olympics in 2029.
Is India hosting the Olympics a logical move?
Hosting the Olympics is a massive responsibility as it is the biggest sporting extravaganza in the globe. But, as the PM himself said, India has the infrastructure, logistics, and necessary organizational capability to host global events. The successful organization of the G20 Summit and India’s presidency, as part of which events were organized in more than 60 cities, is also proof of India’s organizing capacity.
One of the key reasons why India could end up having a decent chance of winning the Olympics bid is because they have hosted a number of global tournaments recently. The list includes the Chess Olympiad, which saw the participation of 186 countries, the Football Under-17 Women’s World Cup, the Hockey World Cup, the Women’s World Boxing Championship, the Shooting World Cup, and as well as the ongoing ODI Cricket World Cup. Further, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also organizes the Indian Premier League (IPL) every year – the largest T20 league cricket tournament in the world.
A host of the Olympics should also have decent achievements in sports in the international arena. By that yardstick as well, India has done reasonably well. At the 2020 Summer Olympics, they won seven medals – one gold, two silver and four bronze. They were also exceptional in the recently concluded Asian Games. India finished their Asian Games 2023 campaign with an amazing haul of 107 medals – 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze. The government has also undertaken the “Khelo India” initiative to boost sports in the country.
Is the IOC session in India after 40 years an indicator?
The IOC member Nita Ambani said that the 141st IOC session held in Mumbai was the first step towards achieving the dream of bringing the Olympics to India. The three-day session took place at the Jio World Centre from October 15-17. Stating that Indian Sports are going through a golden era, Mrs. Ambani opined that the IOC session in India after 40 years with a thumping majority was a huge indicator of the same.
“As a member of the International Olympic Committee, it has been my dream to bring the Olympics to India. I’m happy to share with you that we have taken the first steps in that direction,” she said. For the historic session bid, there were 75 votes cast for India, with only one vote against it.
“This is just the beginning. It’s the start of a glorious new era for Indian sport. An era in which our young athletes are making us proud at the highest levels. And India is finding its rightful place in the global sporting arena. Only onwards and upwards from here on,” she added while stating the importance of the IOC being held in India. The IOC session last took place in India back in 1983.
Nita Ambani has been backing the Olympics to come to India for a few years. Back in 2004, in an interview with DD Sports during the Athens Olympics, she had commented, “It is my wish that in the years to come, there will come a day when we will witness the Olympic ceremony take place in our country, and this day surely will come.”
Preparations underway in Gujarat?
While nothing is official about the Olympic venues yet, there are reports that Ahmedabad in Gujarat could be a frontrunner. As per a report in India Today, preparations are underway at one of the construction sites, which is likely to be part of the bid for the Games. The preparations are said to be as per the first draft of the master plan prepared by the state government. The report quoted sources as saying that the Gujarat government has gotten approval for the construction from the Center and that four sites around Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar have been identified.
The challenges of organizing the Olympics in India
According to an editorial in The New Indian Express, expressing interest in the bid is the beginning of a lengthy process, which will involve many years of dialogue, back-channel lobbying, and building massive Games-related infrastructure, with a lot of money expected to be pumped in.
Another challenge would be to make the Games sustainable and economically viable, the editorial further reported. If India can take care of the challenges, they stand a decent chance of winning the bid to host the 2036 Olympics.