NEW DELHI (INDIA) — India has formally joined the fray for hosting the 2036 Summer Olympics and Paralympics after the Indian Olympic Association presented its formal Letter of Intent to the International Olympic Committee. This put India ahead from the informal, preliminary dialogue stage into the “continuous dialogue” stage of the host selection process.
Thus, it means India is seriously committed to hosting the Olympics – an endeavor aligning with Indian Prime Minister Modi’s aim at developing global sporting prowess. In the past, Modi highlighted benefits such as economic growth, empowering the youth, and a change in the face of the society across the country, that hosting the Games would bring transformative opportunities.
India is competing with a cluster of other countries, including Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Indonesia, and Egypt to win the right to hold the Games. The process to arrive at a decision, however, would only be completed after the IOC completes its elections next year. The IOC still has to make a final announcement as regards the host city for 2036.
Support from influential figures already exists, especially from IOC President Thomas Bach, who said India’s case is a “compelling one.” Several cities are in contention, but one of the more likely candidates to host the Games is the city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat.
The entry for India also states the possibility of including indigenous sports like yoga, kabaddi, and kho kho in the Olympic program as the country seeks to blend its rich cultural heritage with modern sporting disciplines. The Indian government has also accorded importance to developing first-class sports infrastructure, which is bound to further add strength to the bid.
While the bid is in its process, the Indian Olympic Association remains collaborative with the SAI toward planning an all-inclusive framework towards successful hosting of the Games. That is to say not only work on infrastructure but also on initiatives to make games more inclusive and accessible towards each participant and spectator.
India hasn’t hosted an Olympic event since the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi back in 2010, but growing international influence and investment in sporting infrastructure make the country a promising opportunity for the IOC.
