IOC Session in India: Shiva Keshavan calls upcoming meet a 'turning point' in country's sporting history

Shiva Keshavan believes that the upcoming International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Mumbai will be a “turning point” in India’s sporting history. Also read: Who will attend the IOC Session? Top agenda of the meeting Shiva Keshavan is a six-time Olympian and is the first Indian representative to compete in luge at the Winter Olympics. The 141st IOC Session will be held in Mumbai from 15 October to 17 October, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating the event on 14 October. This will be the first time in 40 years India are hosting the IOC Session, and the meet acts as an important step in as India plans to bid for the 2036 Olympics. Also read: How India won the hosting rights for 141st International Olympic Committee Session “I think this is a very important moment for Olympic sports in India. I think it symbolises, you know, a turning point in our sporting history, because for the first time in 40 years, the sporting leaders from all over the world are coming to India at a time when we’ve just had our best ever showing at the Asian Games,” Shiva Keshavan told News18. “And also we are bidding for the Olympic Games; not to speak of the cherry on the cake, which is the inclusion of cricket. So many things are coming together over here. And you know, of course, thanks to Nita Ambani’s leadership and representation at the IOC, we were able to have a voice on that forum,” added Shiva. The 42-year-old, however, said it was just the first step and there was a long way to go. “And I think this is just the first step. It is a step to have more Indians take up important positions in international organisations to start soft diplomacy and grow our prestige as a country in the world. This is the time when this journey starts so I’m really excited about it,” the Manali-born athlete continued. Shiva is optimistic of India hosting the 2036 Summer Olympics, but felt that there was still work to be done. “Well, I think it’s a process. We’re the only major economy in the world that hasn’t hosted the Olympic Games yet. So why shouldn’t we be there? Why we weren’t able to do it so far or where we want to be is a roadmap that we need to prepare with all the stakeholders of the sport put together. “The IOC is here, and I think the interest from the IOC is that India is a country that represents one-sixth of the world’s population. We’re a young population. This is the future of sports, we are called the sleeping giant of sports. As an athlete, I feel good policies of the government need to be implemented and they need to reach people on the ground,” added Shiva. “So I think we are very much capable of building sports infrastructure, and sports is also indicative of the development of a nation, of sustainable development goals. This is something that’s going to help us reach them,” commented Shiva, a recipient of the Arjuna award in 2020.