IOA president PT Usha says, since last year, we have maintained regular communication with IOC president Thomas Bach and with the officials of the Future Host Commission

Indian officials attended the executive program and observer program organised by the IOC at the Paris Olympics

Despite squabbling within the organisation, IOA chief confident that India will be viewed by the IOC as a ‘gracious host’

It all started with India, celebrating the 75th anniversary of its independence from British rule in 1947, deciding to bid for hosting the annual session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Mumbai after a gap of 40 years, the first session having been hosted in New Delhi in 1983.

While making a pitch for hosting the session, the IOC member in India since 2016, Nita Ambani, one of the members of the Indian delegation which made a remote presentation to IOC members, had said “I believe this is only the beginning, and it is time to elevate our partnership with the Olympic Movement to greater heights,” apparently referring to the country’s ambition to host the Olympic Games in the future.

After the successful bid, India hosted the IOC session in Mumbai in October 2023.
Speaking in the opening ceremony, Prime Minister Narendra Modi confirmed that India indeed will bid to host the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

While committing that “India will leave no stone unturned in preparation for the successful organisation of the Olympics in 2036 – this is the dream of the 140 crore (1.4 billion) Indians”, he had sought support from the highest world sports body, saying “We want to realise this dream with your support. I am sure India will get constant support from IOC.”

So, when Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha revealed in a video statement posted on her ‘X’ handle on November 6 that a letter of intent expressing the country’s desire to host the 2036 Summer Olympics and Paralympics has been submitted by the IOA to the IOC’s Future Host Commission, it marked the first official concrete step taken by the country in its efforts towards realising the dream.

In the multi-layered, complex and long drawn selection process for venue of the 2036 Summer Olympics, India could potentially face stiff competition from other countries which have also expressed their desire to bid for the games, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Egypt, Turkey, Hungary and Chile. But given its increasing clout in world affairs, it’s by no means an impossible task.

Los Angeles in the USA and Brisbane in Australia are already confirmed as hosts of the 2028 and 2032 Summer Olympics, respectively.

India is seeking to become only the fourth Asian country ever to host the Summer Olympics in the history of the quadrennial event after China, South Korea and Japan.

In her video statement, PT Usha said, “Since last year, we have maintained regular communication with IOC president Thomas Bach and with the officials of the Future Host Commission. We also remained in touch with the officials at the Paris Olympics, during which our officers attended the executive program and observer program organised by the IOC. These interactions and learnings led to the submission of the letter of intent in early October.”

Admitting to internal squabbling with the IOA, Usha nonetheless assured that “Despite some internal challenges within the IOA, our commitment remains steadfast. I am optimistic that India will be viewed by the IOC as a gracious host.”

After the success of the G20, hosting the Summer Olympics is seen as another great leap in Modi’s quest for achieving the goal of ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047.

In his last Independence Day speech, the prime minister had highlighted the grand style in which more than 200 G20 events, including the summit meeting, were organized across various cities. “This proves that Bharat has the capability to organize major international events and possesses unparalleled hospitality. With this established, our goal is to host the 2036 Olympics on Indian soil. We are preparing for this and making significant progress towards it,” he had said.

Though no host city has yet been named, it is widely believed that the choice is expected to be Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar in Modi’s home state of Gujarat, where the state government is already in overdrive to create massive infrastructure around India’s biggest stadium, the one lakh-plus seater Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium, and in other clusters.

Apart from the state government, Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar as a potential host city will have assured strong backing and support of India’s two biggest ‘Gujarati’ business conglomerates, the Ambanis and Adanis.

During the last (10th) edition of the famous Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, Reliance Industries Limited chairman Mukesh Ambani citing Modi’s announcement for India’s bid to host the Games, had committed Reliance and Reliance Foundation’s help in preparation for the bid.

“…Reliance and Reliance Foundation will join forces with several other partners in Gujarat to improve education, sports, and skills infrastructure that will nurture the champions of tomorrow in various Olympic sports,” he was quoted as saying.

His wife Nita Ambani, an IOC member and founder and chairperson of the Reliance Foundation, is already in the thick of campaigning for the success of India’s bid for hosting the 2036 Olympics. She is learnt to have been largely instrumental in getting IOC approval for hosting its October 2023 session in Mumbai.

She was witnessed taking centre stage in the session opening ceremony held at the Jio World Centre in Mumbai in the presence of Modi and IOC President Thomas Bach.

Reliance Foundation, led by her, also set up India House, the first-ever country house at the Olympics, in the vibrant Parc de la Villette. She, along with the IOA contingent, used the platform provided by the colourful pavilion, designed to showcase India’s rich heritage and Olympic ambitions, to lobby hard for hosting the 2036 world showcase in the country.

Enormity of hosting a Summer Olympics

With the number of athletes having increased dramatically, especially between the years 1976 to 1996, and the number of events having also risen substantially, for example up almost 30% from the 1992 Games Barcelona to the 2024 Games in Paris, it is no mean feat to host 329 medal events across 32 different sports disciplines, about 10,000 athletes and even more while welcoming millions of visitors.

Considering inflation and other cost overruns, by the time India potentially hosts the 2036 Summer Olympics, it would be looking at spending upwards of a staggering US $ 10 billion on the sporting extravaganza.

Rs 6,000-crore plan for Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar

The Gujarat government set up a special purpose vehicle (SPV) in July 2023 to oversee the planning and execution of Olympic-standard infrastructure in Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar.

A 6,000-crore master plan, prepared by Australian design and architecture consultants Populous, envisions building a 300-acre Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave in Ahmedabad’s Motera locality. Besides six new stadiums with a total seating capacity of over 1 lakh, the sports enclave will include the existing one lakh plus-seater Narendra Modi cricket stadium.

It has also planned a “vibrant” public space along river Sabarmati for hosting cultural events and temporary stalls, and an amphitheatre.

Planning is also under way for additional sports clusters.