India’s sports administrators are preparing to vigorously campaign at the upcoming Paris Olympics, with the goal of bolstering the country’s bid to host the 2036 Games. They intend to advocate for the inclusion of indigenous sports, showcasing India’s unique cultural heritage on the global stage.
The Sports Authority of India’s Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) submitted a detailed report outlining the necessary steps for a successful bid to the new sports minister, Mansukh Mandaviya, on June 20. The MOC has proposed six sports for inclusion in the 2036 Olympics: yoga, kho kho, kabaddi, chess, T20 cricket, and squash, should India secure hosting rights for the quadrennial event.
“We met the new Sports Minister yesterday and handed him the report. The minister said he will need a few days to go through it. But he asked us to prepare another report on how sports can be a career option in the country, how to build interest among youth, how to bring private players into sports,” a senior member of the MOC said on conditions of anonymity.
“We are way ahead in preparing for the Olympic bid which will take place after Paris. But we will have to do a lot of lobbying with IOC during the Paris Games and we are completely prepared,” the member added.
If India’s bid is successful, the proposed events would need to be introduced as demonstration sports in the 2032 Brisbane Games before receiving final approval. The MOC member emphasized that including these sports would boost India’s medal chances in the 2036 Olympics, but the journey ahead is challenging. The country must support the development of these disciplines in a sufficient number of participating nations.
“The sports ministry asked the MOC to prepare a detailed report about our readiness for 2036 Olympics, including identifying new sporting disciplines which a host nation can pitch for, how to control doping menace, bringing more accountability in in the working of the national federations and identifying private entities who are interested in investing in sports,” the member said.
“We researched in detail and identified six sports in which are strong. We are masters in yoga, chess, cricket, and kho kho is our traditional sport. So these sports will enhance our medal chances,” the member added.
The MOC also considered the historical significance of the sports and the ease of broadcasting them. The MOC member acknowledged that winning the hosting rights would be challenging, as India would have to compete against countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, China, Hungary, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Canada, Spain, the United Kingdom, Poland, Mexico, South Korea, Egypt, Chile, Turkey, and Indonesia.
But these indigenous sports will have to be introduced as demonstration events in 2032 Olympics. Besides India will have to extend support and ensure that a minimum number of countries, which is around 70 plus, have federations in place there. The 2020 Olympics were held in Tokyo while the next Olympics will take place this year in Paris. The opening ceremony is scheduled for July 26, 2024, at the Jardins du Trocadéro, and the closing ceremony will be held on August 11, 2024, at the Stade de France.
