PM Modi asks for athletes' input in India's preparation to host 2036 Olympics

New Delhi, Aug 16: After announcing India's aspiration to host the 2036 Olympics in his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked for Indian athletes’ input for the smooth hosting of the quadrennial extravaganza in 2036.

Notably, India will be bidding to host the Olympic Games in 2036. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has also initiated the dialogue process with the Future Host Commission (FHC).

The PM had invited the entire Indian contingent from Paris Olympics to join in on the Independence Day celebrations at his residence in New Delhi. While addressing them, he asked athletes, who had competed in previous Olympics, to share their insights and recommendations, which would help the nation prepare to host the Games in 2036.

"India is preparing to host the 2036 Olympics. In this regard, the input from athletes who have played in previous Olympics is very important. You all must have observed and experienced many things. We want to document this and share it with the government so that we don’t miss out on any small details in the preparation for 2036," PM Modi said.

Further, PM Modi referred to the Indian contingent as an integral part of his "2036 team" and asked the sports ministry to draft a document and thoroughly consider player comments and suggestions.

"In this way, you are an important part of my 2036 team, helping us host an Olympics like no other in the world. I would like the Sports Ministry to prepare a draft and gather detailed feedback from athletes so that we can plan well," he added.

"You athletes should also give us suggestions on how to improve Indian sports further. Your feedback and suggestions are very important because it’s your responsibility to guide those who will represent the country in the future. You should interact with players on social media. The Sports Ministry can also organise such sessions in different places.

The allotment of hosting rights for the Olympics is done by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) through a detailed host selection process. The IOC has a dedicated body, the Future Host Commission, which deals with this subject.

The interested National Olympics Committees (NOCs) are required to initiate a dialogue with the FHC, which subsequently becomes a continuous dialogue and finally, a targeted dialogue with the selected NOCs.

Once the FHC completes this dialogue, the IOC Executive Board holds an election wherein the members vote for the award of the hosting rights for the concerned Olympic Games.