 "India is hopeful of hosting the 2036 Summer Olympic Games which will become the largest multi-sporting event in the country's history. Image: Reuters")
Ahmedabad was for the first time officially confirmed as the host city in India’s ambitious bid for ‘a future edition’ of the Olympic Games following a meeting between an Indian delegation and IOC officials in Lausanne on Tuesday. The development comes days after the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) new president Kirsty Coventry paused the host selection process for future Olympic Games.
The Indian delegation comprised Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha as well as representatives from the Union Sports Ministry and the Gujarat state government. With Brisbane having been confirmed as the host city for the 2032 Summer Olympics, India is eyeing the 2036 Games.
“The discussions provided a vital platform for the Indian delegation to articulate their vision for hosting a future Olympic Games in Amdavad (Ahmedabad). Concurrently, they gained invaluable insights from the IOC regarding the requirements for the Olympic Games and its ambitions for the future of the Olympic Movement,” read a press release from the Indian delegation.
IOA president and Indian track legend Usha, meanwhile, felt hosting the Olympics would have a “generational impact for all Indians.
Olympics would have ‘generational impact for all Indians’: Usha
“The Olympic Games in India would not just be a spectacular event, they would be one of generational impact for all Indians,” the 61-year-old said.
Gujarat sports minister Harsh Sanghavi added that the state wanted to be a “true partner for the IOC”.
“We are eager to be a true partner to the IOC in the coming months of this process and, hopefully, in the years to come, as we work together to realise this shared ambition,” Sanghavi said.
“We are eager to be a true partner to the IOC in the coming months of this process and, hopefully, in the years to come, as we work together to realise this shared ambition
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIndia has hosted two editions of the Asian Games – the inaugural edition in 1951 as well as in 1982 – as well as the Commonwealth Games in 2010 - the biggest multi-sporting event held on Indian soil till date.
India, however, faces steep competition for the 2036 Olympics with Saudi Arabia – which hosts the FIFA World Cup just two years earlier – also in the fray along with Chile, Turkey and Indonesia. If its bid turns out to be successful, India will become only the fourth Asian country after Japan (1964), South Korea (1988) and China (2008) to host the Summer Olympics.