India Plans To Bid For 2036 Olympic Games With Ahmedabad As Potential Host City

Union Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur has said that India will bid for hosting the Olympic Games in 2036.

Thakur said that government will present a roadmap before the full members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) during the IOC session in Mumbai in September 2023.

The roadmap will be prepared in consultation with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), Thakur said.

In an interview with the Times of India, Thakur said the government will back the IOA's bid for hosting the olympic games.

Thakur stated that if India was able to successfully host the G20 Presidency, then the government would be able to work with the Indian Olympic Association to bid for hosting the Olympics.

"We all know that the slots are booked till 2032. But 2036 onwards, we have hopes and I am sure India will fully prepare and bid for the Olympics,” Thakur was quoted by ToI as saying.

Thakur was asked if India was prepared to bid for the 2036 Olympics, to which he replied that the country is ready and there is no reason to decline the opportunity. He emphasised that India is putting a lot of effort into promoting sports and will be able to host the Olympics in a grand manner.

"This is the right time to host the Games. If India is making news in every sector from manufacturing to services, then why not in sports? India is looking very seriously at bidding for the 2036 Olympics," he said.

The minister said that Gujarat already has a world-class sporting infrastructure and Ahmedabad is likely to be the ‘host city’ for the games.