New Delhi: Hosting an event as big as the Olympics has always been a prestigious and joyous occasion for any country. International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach recently revealed that India was among the nations interested in hosting the Olympics in 2036, 2040, and beyond.
“Even after Brisbane, Australia, was chosen last month to host the 2032 Summer Games, the IOC enjoys a queue of suitors to host the Olympics in 2036, 2040, and even beyond. Those aspiring hosts include Indonesia, India, Germany, and Qatar,” Bach was quoted as saying to Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
“And this is just the ones which come to my mind. So we are really in a very good long-term position,” added Bach. The IOC recently announced that Brisbane will host the 2032 Summer Olympics. The 2024 edition will be held in Paris followed up by Los Angeles four years later.
Recently, Tokyo did an incredible job in organising the Olympics in the face of the pandemic, proving that the Japanese capital is no less than any other country and that anything is possible.
Bach’s remarks came into light when the Games’ escalating costs, which had speculated to be in the millions of dollars, have sparked a debate worldwide. The recent Tokyo Olympics was also met with criticism over the amount of money spent on hosting the Games.
Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Secretary General Rajeev Mehta, on the other hand, confirmed to PTI that they had expressed interest in hosting the showpiece event. “In a meeting of an IOC Commission via video conference before Tokyo Olympics, IOA had expressed interest in hosting Olympics in 2036 and beyond,” Mehta said.
Earlier in March, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia stated that India would make every effort to upgrade infrastructure in order to successfully bid for the 2048 Games, which will commemorate the country’s 100th anniversary of independence.
In addition, India expressed interest in hosting the 2032 Olympics as part of a long-term hosting strategy that included the 2030 Asian Games and the 2026 Youth Olympic Games. However, Qatar and Riyadh were awarded the 2030 and 2034 Asian Games, respectively.
