IOC welcomes India’s interest to host Olympics

In a communication to Sportstar, the IOC said India had firmly expressed its interest to host the Olympics without mentioning the name of any potential city.

REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE: A general view of the Olympic rings. | Photo Credit: AP

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Wednesday welcomed India’s interest to host the Olympic Games in future.

In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement, at the 141st IOC Session in Mumbai last year, about India’s eagerness to host the 2036 Olympics, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) in early October had sent a ‘letter of intent’ to the IOC regarding bidding for the Games.

In a communication to Sportstar, the IOC said India had firmly expressed its interest to host the Olympics without mentioning the name of any potential city.

“The IOC very much welcomes India’s interest in hosting a future edition of the Olympic Games. This interest has been expressed very firmly to us on a number of occasions by all levels of Government as well as in our ongoing talks with the IOA,” said the statement.

“With its huge passion for sport and youthful population, India has much to offer for the future of the Olympic Movement. The IOC has not yet been informed by the IOA of any selected potential host region. Currently there are Interested Parties from four continents discussing with the IOC in an informal and non-committal way about hosting a future edition of the Olympic Games.”

The IOC also took note of the internal issues within the IOA. “In the meantime, the situation of the IOA has been addressed by the IOC directly with the IOA in a self-explanatory letter,” said the IOC.