Asian nations in strong race to host 2036 Olympics(2)

New Delhi aims high

India is a strong contender after successfully organizing a series of Group of 20 events across the country last year.

While Narendra Modi's government is also bidding for the 2030 Youth Olympics, the 2036 Games remain the main focus, Indian Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on the sidelines of the Olympic Council of Asia's 44th General Assembly meeting in New Delhi on Sept 8.

"It is the dream of India to host the 2036 Olympics, we are making preparations for that," Modi said in a speech on Aug 15 to mark the nation's 78th Independence Day.

Mandaviya said strengthening India's sports infrastructure, including for multisports events, is an ongoing process.

India's National Olympic Committee and the Indian Olympic Association, or IOA, have started talks with the IOC's Future Host Commission, which deals with the host selection process. The dialogue is the first step toward bidding for the right to host the Games.

"India can successfully host the 2036 Olympics and it has sufficient infrastructure to host this grand event. Since the announcement came from the PM, the IOA has been duty-bound to fulfill the vision of the PM," IOA President PT Usha told China Daily.

Swaran Singh, a professor of diplomacy and disarmament at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, said India is aiming to host the Youth Olympics as well as the 2036 Games to promote sports among Indian youth, and provide them with home support to compete at the international level.

India has a young population, with a median age of 28, he said. "This large aspirational and restive youth can become more disciplined and productive by India supporting sports culture and events of this scale and prestige," Singh said.

The country's standing in international sports has grown in recent years, along with forecasts it will move from the world's fifth largest economy to the third biggest within five years. Hosting the Olympics, therefore, would give India opportunities to connect with the world in multiple ways, and boost efforts toward the country becoming a developed nation by 2047.

"Of course, it (bidding for the Olympics) is also reflective of India's ambitions to showcase its power and capabilities for hosting such mega events," Singh said, pointing to the success of hosting the 2010 Commonwealth Games and a series of G20 meetings last year.

Sports historian and statistician Gautam Roy said India would need to build additional sports and related infrastructure to host the Games, which would boost its GDP growth.

In recent times, India has also seen a revival in its performances in international sports, he said.

After Beijing hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 2008, it triggered a dramatic improvement in China's performances in the global arena, Roy said. This was evidenced by China's rise in the medal tally at the Paris Games. India "will also look forward to similar achievements", he said.

A contingent of 117 Indian athletes participated in the Paris Olympics. India won six medals — one silver and five bronze, according to Olympics.com.

"I am happy with India's performance at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, though I would have loved to see more Indians win medals," Usha said.

India's best-ever Olympic performance was at Tokyo 2021, where it won seven medals, including one gold.

Soumitra Bose, a veteran sports journalist at The Times of India, said if India succeeded in hosting the Games, it would enhance its international reputation.

"Hosting the G20 had a similar goal and India's image received a significant boost," said Bose, who is also a consultant for a government-run sports organization.

As a host nation, India would have several notable advantages, such as sound economic growth, cheap labor, and previous experience in hosting international events, such as the cricket and hockey World Cups, and the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.

The former captain of the Indian hockey team, JM Carvalho, welcomed India's bid for the Games. "It's one of the largest countries in the world and has a lot of potential. I'm sure that this is going to happen very soon," he said.