India's 2036 Games bid fuels sporting superpower dreams but hurdles, heavyweight rivals remain

BENGALURU, Oct 7 : India's bid for the 2036 Olympics sits at the heart of a wider effort to transform the country into a sporting superpower and the Indian Olympic Association is convinced it can come out on top in a fiercely competitive process, its chief executive officer Raghuram Iyer told Reuters on Wednesday.

India's ambitions took a step forward on Tuesday after the International Olympic Committee said the world's most populous nation along with Germany, Qatar, Hungary, Turkey, South Africa and South Korea were in the running to stage the 2036 Games.

The bid faces no shortage of challenges with the lack of recent experience hosting multi-sport Games, governance issues within the IOA, limited Olympic medal success and its poor doping record all counting against India.

Despite the hurdles, Iyer argued that close engagement with the IOC and growing experience in hosting international events would help India secure the Games, which officials see as a springboard for its sporting ambitions.

"We have the mission to become a sporting superpower," Iyer told Reuters in a telephone call.

"It is not a one-off event. It is a complete process we're in and hoping that India one day becomes a superpower and comes in the top 10 in the world or the top five in the world.

"The legacy will continue until sports becomes a part of daily life of every Indian, because it's more than just winning medals, it's all about health, fitness, mental well-being and the nation becoming healthier and fitter overall."

A series of embarrassments over leaking stadiums and filthy accommodation in the lead-up to the Commonwealth Games hosted by New Delhi in 2010 muddied India's reputation as hosts of international multi-sport events.

Since last year, however,