MUMBAI: India will bid to host the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday at the opening ceremony of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) session here.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the IOC session, Modi said hosting the Olympic Games is “the age-old dream” for India.
“Indians are not just sports lovers, but we also live it,” Modi said.
“India will leave no stone unturned in the preparation for the successful organisation of the Olympics in 2036 – this is the dream of the 140 crore [1.4 billion] Indians.”
“We want to realise this dream with your support. I am sure India will get constant support from IOC.”
India is a growing sports power, having finished fourth in the Asian Games this month, with a national record of 28 golds, and more than 100 medals overall.
The country also won seven medals, including one gold, at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, the nation’s record haul.
Modi also said India would look to host the Youth Olympics in 2029.
“Sport is not just about winning medals but also winning hearts,” he said.
Modi did not mention which city would apply to host the Olympics. But media reports have speculated that Ahmedabad, capital of his home state of Gujarat, was the most likely city to bid.
Ahmedabad is home to Narendra Modi Stadium, named for the Prime Minister and with 132,000 seats, the world’s largest sporting venue by capacity.
IOC underlines need to abide by code of ethics
Indonesia and Mexico have previously expressed official interest in hosting the 2036 Olympics, and last month Poland’s President Andrzej Duda told the IOC it wants to stage the Games.
Poland refused to let Russian athletes compete in the European Games this year and Indonesia was stripped by football’s governing body FIFA of hosting the men’s Under-20 World Cup in May because the Muslim-majority nation did not want to host the Israeli team.
“We have witnessed more and more government restrictions being placed on athletes’ access to international sporting competitions,” former Croatia President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic said at the meeting in Mumbai.
The IOC panel that liaises with potential bidders, which Grabar-Kitarovic chairs, “must take any infringement of the Olympic Charter into consideration at all stages of the dialogue”, she said.
“It is important that all interested parties and preferred hosts commit to abide by the IOC’s code of ethics and rules of conduct,” she said.
decision on the 2036 Olympics host should be taken “not before 2026 or 2027” Grabar-Kitarovic said .
“I am pleased to report that the number of the interested parties for hosting the Games is in double digits,” Grabar-Kitarovic added.
Grabar-Kitarovic added that the 2036 pick should be made under “new IOC leadership” – because Bach’s 12-year presidential term limit expires in 2025.
Paris will host the Games in 2024, Los Angeles in 2028 and Brisbane in 2032.
