Mumbai, October 16: While Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed India’s interest in hosting the 2036 Olympic Games and promised to leave no stone unturned to achieve this goal, it is important to note that winning the hosting rights will be a difficult thing to do. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) clarified that it has not received any formal proposal or expression of interest from India regarding its intention to bid for the 2036 Games.
The IOC’s stance is that it recognizes only the National Olympic Committee (NOC), which in the case of India is the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). So far, India’s interest in hosting the Olympics has been expressed by Prime Minister Modi, Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, and the Gujarat government through the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA). AUDA appointed PwC as its consultant and submitted a report outlining the venues and general infrastructure required to host the Olympics in Ahmedabad.
However, a significant challenge to India’s bid is the IOA’s strained relationship with the IOC. The IOC is dissatisfied with the way the IOA has handled various matters, and they are urging the IOA to address these issues before considering India’s bid for the 2036 Olympics.
A particular concern is the delay in the appointment of a Secretary General or Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the IOA. The IOC has requested the early appointment of a Secretary General or CEO and insisted on communicating only with such an official. To date, this appointment has not been made, and Joint Secretary Kalyan Choubey is holding the additional charge of CEO from December 10, 2022, when the elections were held.
140 करोड़ देशवासियों का सपना है कि 2036 में भारत की धरती पर ओलंपिक का सफल और शानदार आयोजन हो। इसके लिए हम अपने प्रयासों में कोई कोर-कसर नहीं रखेंगे। pic.twitter.com/bUBlVp4tvP
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 14, 2023
The IOC also clarified that a decision regarding the right to host the 2036 Olympic Games would not be made before 2026, as President Thomas Bach had expressed his preference for such a decision during the next term of his presidency.
India’s bid to host the 2036 Olympics will face competition from ten cities/regions, including Mexico, Egypt, Poland, Indonesia, and Turkey, which have already expressed interest. These cities/regions will need to submit a formal bid along with a letter of interest to be recognized as interested parties by the IOC.
In 2019, the IOC established a separate Future Host Commission for the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, tasked with engaging in discussions with candidate cities or interested parties. The bidding process includes an ongoing dialogue, a preliminary dialogue, and a targeted dialogue, an advanced discussion with selected interested parties to reduce bidding costs and prevent corruption.
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