It Makes More Sense For IOC To Give 2036 Olympics To India: Anurag Thakur

Sports Minister Anurag Thakur said on Sunday "it makes more sense for the IOC" to give India the hosting rights for the 2036 Olympic Games as the country is growing by leaps and bounds in every sphere including sports. Thakur, while speaking at the News9 Global Summit, said India's recent performance at mega international events, such as the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, gives him hope that the country could become a top-10 sporting nation by 2036 and be in the top-5 by 2047.

"We had the largest population to see the Olympic sports last time (in 2020 Tokyo) and this time, it makes more sense for the IOC to give 2036 Olympics to none other than Bharat, our India," said Thakur.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already expressed the country's desire to host the Olympics in 2036 during the IOC session in Mumbai last year, and when asked if India was ready to hold the mega event and which city could play host, Thakur said, "PM Modi made it very clear during the IOC session that India is very serious to host the 2036 Summer Olympics, and before that we want to host the 2030 Youth Olympics. And, I have a reason to say so.

"If you look at India in the last 10 years, we have become the fifth-largest economy in the world. If you look at sector to sector, India is doing extremely well...economy-wise fifth largest, next five years, we are going to be the third largest.

"By 2036, the Indian economy would be much larger, sports infrastructure is also getting better and better with each passing day. We have 1.4 billion population, out of which 65 per cent is below 35. That is 1/6th of the total population of the world lives in India, so what could be a bigger market (for Olympics).

"Then, the target I have set