India Exploring Future Olympic Bid

(ATR) Indian Olympic Association President N Ramachandran says preliminary discussions with government officials are underway for a 2032 Olympic bid.

Ramachandran spoke to local media after his re-election as president of the Olympic Association in Tamil Nadu, a state in southern India. He said talks are "at a very preliminary stage," requiring multiple approvals.

The IOC will vote next month on a plan that could see the next two Summer Olympics awarded at the 2017 Session in Lima, Peru. If that plan gains approval, it would mean the next race for the Summer Olympics may not come for nearly eight years.

Indian President Narendra Modi met with Thomas Bach two years ago during the start of the 2024 Olympic race. Modi told Bach that he did not believe the country was ready to stage the Olympics at that time.

India hosted the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. The Games were marred by corruption allegations and mismanagement. Seven years on, some debts from the Games remain outstanding.

For any Indian Olympic bid to become official, numerous government officials would need to sign off on any potential plan.

"[The] IOA has to make a proposal and give it to the government," Ramachandran was quoted as saying. "That has to be agreed to by the government. Then the government has to give a sovereign guarantee. Not only from the incumbent government, but also from the Leader of the Opposition. The Chief Minister of the State in which the chosen city is located apart from the leader of the opposition would have to say yes."

Ramachandran ruled out the prohibitive nature of the costs for an Olympic bid, saying the risk would be spread out over "six to eight years."

"The balance, for a country of India’s size, it is not great money," Ramachandran added.

Speculation over costs for future Olympic bids could be premature. IOC President Thomas Bach signaled wholesale change to the bidding process, shifting towards a consultation approach.

"The IOC will be more proactive in assisting and supporting cities already at the stage where they are only considering a candidature and their first thoughts or ideas about a candidature," Bach said at a press conference in Lausanne. "The IOC will customize its approach to the needs of the cities in order to develop together the best value proposition for the city and for the Games.

"There will be an increased participation of the IOC membership in this procedure from the very beginning and all this will lead to a lighter process for the cities with reduced costs."

Speculation over 2032 Olympic bids has already begun. Earlier this month Bach told German news outlet Bild he’d love to see an Olympics in Africa and his home country of Germany.

Written by Aaron Bauer

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