India is looking very seriously at bidding for 2036 Olympics, reveals Sports Minister Anurag Thakur

On Wednesday (December 28), the Sports Minister Anurag Thakur revealed that India is seriously mulling bidding for the hosting rights of the 2036 Olympic Games. Thakur said that the government will consult with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and churn out a roadmap prior to the IOC session, to be held in Mumbai in 2023.

While the country has never been a host of the Olympics, Sports Minister remains optimistic of the nation to be able to pull it off. “If India is making news in every sector, from manufacturing to services, then why not in the field of sports? India is looking very seriously at bidding for the 2036 Olympics,” Thakur told the Times of India.

Sports Minister Thakur even mentioned that Gujarat — comprising of the iconic Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium in Motera, the largest cricket stadium in the globe — can be considered as a potential venue for the marquee event. “Gujarat has several times expressed interest in hosting the Olympics,” he said. “They have the infrastructure. It’s also part of the state government’s manifesto to host the Olympics in Gujarat.”

It is to be noted that multi-sport Games such as the Commonwealth Games in 2010, in New Delhi, and the Asian Games — in 1982 and 1951 — have been held in India earlier. However, if they manage to acquire the hosting rights for the 2036 Olympics it will be a huge deal for the Asian country. In the last edition of the Olympics, held in Tokyo, Japan, Indian contingent returned with its best-ever tally (with seven medals) with several athletes making a big name for themselves. Thus, Indian athletes are surely on the rise but it will be interesting to see if India is ready to pull off an event, of such a magnitude, in style as hosts.