New Delhi: In a significant step towards India’s bid to host the Olympic Games, a high-level Indian delegation led by IOA President PT Usha and Gujarat’s Minister of State for Sports Harsh Sanghavi met officials of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne, Switzerland, to discuss the country’s interest in hosting a future edition of the Games, potentially the 2036 Summer Olympics.
The Indian delegation also included senior representatives from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, and the Gujarat government, which has been positioning Ahmedabad as the potential host city.
“This crucial exchange aimed to explore the opportunity and feasibility of India hosting a future edition of the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” said a statement issued by the delegation. The discussions, it said, allowed India to “articulate their vision” and strengthen their proposal, while providing a platform to “sharpen its ambition” in alignment with the IOC’s goals.
Despite the IOC recently announcing a pause in its host city selection process, new IOC President Kirsty Coventry had earlier welcomed dialogue from interested nations, including India. Coventry said a working group has been set up to determine the appropriate time to restart the process and evaluate bids for future Olympic Games.
PT Usha described India’s engagement with the Olympic movement as a transformative moment. “India’s interest in hosting the Olympics goes beyond just sports. It embraces the true spirit of Olympism—promoting peace, education, and cultural exchange,” she said. “If held in India, the Olympics would be not just a spectacular sporting event, but a generational milestone for all Indians.”
Echoing this sentiment, Gujarat’s sports minister Harsh Sanghavi expressed the state’s firm commitment to hosting the Games. “Our investments in sports infrastructure and our dedication to the Olympic movement are clear indicators of our readiness. Hosting the Olympics in Gujarat would spark massive growth, inspire youth, and leave a lasting legacy,” he said. He added that Gujarat is ready to work closely with the IOC to realize this shared ambition.
Meanwhile, in her first press conference as IOC President, Kirsty Coventry confirmed that a majority of IOC members supported pausing the host selection process. She cited two primary reasons: the desire among members to be more involved in the decision-making and the need to evaluate the experiences of already-selected host cities such as Los Angeles (2028), Brisbane (2032), and the French Alps (2030 Winter Olympics) before moving forward with new bids.
India’s delegation remains hopeful and proactive despite the current pause in the IOC’s timeline. The country’s pitch emphasizes not just sporting capability, but a broader socio-economic and cultural legacy. With Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave and other mega-infrastructure projects already in the works, India is making a serious and sustained push to bring the Olympics home for the first time.
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