 "What Sebastian Coe, IOC presidential candidate, thinks can help India win 2036 Olympics hosting bid")
World Athletics (WA) president Sebastian Coe feels that India can bolster its bid for hosting the 2036 Summer Olympics by successfully hosting international-level sporting tournaments. Sebastian Coe, who won two Olympic gold medals in the 1500m event, has a lot of experience in executing a bid to host the Olympic games, as besides being the head of WA, Coe was also the force behind London winning the bid for 2012 Games and hosting it successfully.
Coe was speaking on India after confirming that the country will be hosting its first-ever World Athletics Continental Tour event on August 10, 2025, in Bhubaneswar. This bronze-level meet, titled the ‘Indian Open,’ will feature in the Athletics Federation of India’s (AFI) 2025 competitive calendar, marking a pivotal moment for Indian athletics.
‘India’s sporting infra needs upgrade’
Launched in 2020, the Continental Tour is a global series of track and field events positioned below the prestigious Diamond League. The tour comprises four tiers — gold, silver, bronze, and challenger — offering athletes an international stage to showcase their talent and compete at a high level.
“If any country has Olympic ambitions, and I know that India does, being able to demonstrate a track record of sporting delivery at international level can only be helpful. Evaluation teams need confidence that events which are going to be delivered at an Olympic level have at least been delivered at World Championships or global competitions level. That lends comfort. So that track record is important for any city that is wanting to present its credentials for delivering a very complex sporting event,” Coe was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times.
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More ShortsThe former athlete, who is also in the race to replace Thomas Bach as the next International Olympic Committee (IOC) president , added the sporting infrastructure in India may need improvement.
“Look, I know India well. It has infrastructure. But there is a recognition that some of that infrastructure will need upgrading,” Coe said. “I’m very careful here, especially being the president of the Olympic organising committee in London, in saying that I don’t think it’s for outsiders to tell countries how and where to spend money on infrastructure or legacy. That really does have to be set against domestic priorities.”
‘India wants to host World Athletics Relay’
India has also bid to host the 2028 U-20 World Championships and Coe revealed that the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) also wants to host global relay and road events.
“I’m delighted that there’s going to be a continental tour event in Bhubaneswar. I’ve been to the city during the Asian Championships (in 2017), and it’s a good sporting city. I’ve also received a letter of intent to stage the U-20 World Championships. That now sits with our bidding team alongside other bids,” Coe said.
“They (AFI) are sharing an ambition to stage more of our events. But that’s over to our evaluation panel and bidding teams to go through the checks, and make sure that all the right assets are in place in order to do that.”
By bidding for multiple global-level athletics events, India is planning to boost its candidacy in the race to host the 2036 Summer Olympics.
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