India Gets In Line for 2032

(ATR) India is pursuing steps to bid for events that could bolster its chances of hosting the 2032 Summer Olympics.

IOC President Thomas Bach visited the Indian Olympic Association yesterday after meeting with federations at the SportAccord Convention. Bach last visited the country in 2015 to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. There Bach urged India to pass on bidding for the 2024 Olympics, and eye a future bid.

IOA President Narinder Dhruv Batra told local reporters that he was pleased to have secured backing by the IOC to bid for the 2032 Games. Before that bid can start, Batra said the country would pursue bidding for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games and the 2030 Asian Games.

"To achieve our goals and vision of an Olympic movement in India, the roadmap suggested by the delegation will surely benefit us as we hope to achieve our vision to bid for important global events like the Asian Games and Olympics in the foreseeable future," Batra was quoted as saying.

India’s record of hosting multi-sport events is the 1951 and 1982 Asian Games, and the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

The 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi faced concerns and controversies during preparations leading up to and during the Games themselves. After what was seen by many teams as a frustrating experience, organizers faced allegations and trials of corruption for years. The organizing committee was disbanded in 2017 in debt, with the government assuming the costs. The 1982 Asian Games organizing committee was only dissolved in 2016.

India has been mentioned as a potential host for the Olympics and World Cup due to the country’s large population and marketing potential. Highlighting this has been United Sports professional sports leagues such as Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association increasing marketing efforts in the subcontinent in recent years. India successfully hosted the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup leading to speculation that the country could pursue the full tournament.

So far no YOG host has gone on to bid for an Olympic Games, but the IOC said it hopes bringing the event to Africa in 2022 could lead to future bids. The last African bid for the Olympics was from Cape Town, South Africa for the 2012 Games.

Seoul hosted the 1986 Asian Games in preparation for the 1988 Summer Olympics, and Beijing hosted the 1990 Asian Games before bidding repeatedly for the Olympics. Beijing eventually hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics and will also host the 2022 Winter Games.

"We heard the intention of the IOA to be a candidate for a future YOG and Olympic Games; at this moment in time we have the candidature procedure for the YOG 2022, so once this procedure is finalized then we are of course very open and we would appreciate very much entering into discussion with IOA and the government of India with a view to hosting the YOG 2026," Bach said to reporters in India.

"With regard to the Olympic Games it will last a little bit longer because we have allocated the Olympics until 2028 so the next possibility for India is 2032, so we are looking for that at a later stage."

Written by Aaron Bauer

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