‘No stone unturned’ to host Olympics – Modi

The Indian government and local Olympic association will form a body to “explore” a bid for the 2036 Summer Olympics

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the government will collaborate on establishing a joint committee in the coming weeks to chart the path forward for the country's bid to host the 2036 Summer Olympic Games, the Indian Express reported on Monday.

The move follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement, made just two days earlier, affirming a commitment to do everything possible to secure the prestigious games.

“India will leave no stone unturned in the preparation for the successful organization of the Olympics in 2036, this is the dream of 140 crore Indians,” Modi said during the opening of the 141st International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session currently being held in Mumbai. “I am very confident that India will get consistent support from the IOC.” 

The prime minister further stated that India is eager to host the Youth Olympic Games in 2027 as a lead-up to the mega-event. “Organizing global events in the country gives us a chance to welcome countries,” Modi said, adding that organizing G20 events in more than 60 cities earlier this year was “proof of India’s organizing capacity.”

According to the Indian Express, New Delhi had also sent a letter to the IOC to join “continuous dialogue,” a precursor to hosting the games, a “little while ago,” the report claimed. 

In his earlier statements last week, IOC president Thomas Bach, who was present at Saturday’s ceremony, noted India’s “great interest” in hosting the games but said that “we have to wait now how this will turn into a project and will be brought forward to us. Only then can we form an opinion.”

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These latest developments with India’s Olympics bid have come days after an impressive showing at the recently-concluded 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China where its contingent won over 100 medals for the first time. 

Modi’s announcement was also made a day after the IOC’s executive board approved the inclusion of cricket at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. On Saturday, India beat Pakistan in a much-awaited match, the first between the two arch-rivals held on Indian soil in the past seven years and a symbolic win for New Delhi. 

Meanwhile, Ahmedabad, the capital of western India’s Gujarat state, is believed to be the front-runner to host the Olympic Games in India, according to Indian media reports. The local state government has reportedly contracted an Australian consultancy firm to prepare its bid. 

Jacqueline Barrett, the IOC’s Future Olympic Games Hosts director, in an interview with the Indian Express, said while it’s still “early days” for India’s bid, “the ambition is clear.” She said, “Things are changing exponentially fast in the world. Be it geopolitically, from the social point of view, or economically. It’s too early today to say what might be the situation in 2036. We have been very clear to say that for the next Summer Games in 2036, it’ll be the responsibility of the next IOC leadership,” noting that the decision for the 2036 games might not be made until 2026-27 or later. Meanwhile, the next IOC election is scheduled for 2024.

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A nation must ensure its capability to deliver essential infrastructure, accommodation, and security for athletes and their entourages to secure the opportunity to host the Olympics. The process typically involves the IOC initiating informal discussions with interested host countries, progressing to a “targeted dialogue” phase with those meeting the stipulated criteria, and eventually extending invitations for bids from preferred host candidates. In line with its 40-point reform plan approved in 2014, the IOC encourages the utilization of existing or temporary venues for the games to minimize the expenses associated with constructing new infrastructure.