After the Group of Twenty (G20) leaders’ summit was held in New Delhi in September 2023, India has set its sights on the world’s largest sports event, the Olympic Games. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made it clear that India will "spare no effort" to host the 2036 Summer Olympics. Facing nearly a hundred IOC members, including IOC President Bach, Modi said that India was "very excited" to host the Olympics.
"This is the dream of 1.4 billion Indian people for many years. In order to realize this dream, we need your assistance and support." Modi said. However, he did not reveal which city would bid on behalf of India.
In addition to the 2036 Olympics, Modi said that India also plans to bid for the Summer Youth Olympics. "Sports is not just about winning medals, it's about winning hearts and minds," he said.
According to Xinhua News Agency, in addition to India, countries such as Poland, Indonesia, and Mexico have also expressed interest in hosting the 2036 Olympic Games.
Bai Wenxi, chief economist of IPG China, said in an interview with China Business News: "Hosting the Olympics is a huge project that requires full preparation and planning. If India hopes to host the Olympics, it will need to be fully prepared in all aspects, including infrastructure, venue construction, security measures, cultural exchanges, etc."
"There are many challenges in hosting the Olympics, such as the pressure on India's finances, such as the gathering of large numbers of people that may bring certain challenges to social security, such as the impact on India's environment and ecology." Zhu Keli, executive director of the China Information Association and founding president of the Guoyan New Economic Research Institute, told China Business News, "Whether it is ready to host the Olympics is a complex issue that requires all-round consideration."
Reliance Industries is India's largest private company. Nita Mukesh Ambani, founder and chairman of the Reliance Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Reliance Industries, recently said that India is "completely ready" to host the Olympic Games. Prior to this, Reliance Industries has partnered with the Indian Olympic Committee (IOA), a partnership that "aims to improve the standards of Indian athletes, support Indian sports, build India's credibility as a global sports nation, and hope to host the Olympic Games in the future."
IOC President Bach said India's interest in hosting the Games was "good news for the entire Olympic movement" and stressed that the country was on the cusp of a booming sport.
Rapidly growing economic strength has given India confidence.
In a speech to the U.S. Congress in June, Modi said: "When I first visited the United States as Prime Minister, India was the tenth largest economy in the world. Today (June 22), India is the fifth largest economy. We will soon become the third largest economy."
Shaktikanta Das, Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (Central Bank), confidently stated: "India will become the new driving force of the world economy."
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts in its latest report that India's economic growth will reach 6.3% in 2023, ranking first among major economies. The IMF also said that India's total gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to surpass Japan in 2026, one year earlier than originally estimated, and will surpass Germany in 2027, becoming the world's third largest economy after the United States and China.
The "Global Credit Outlook 2024" report released by S&P Global on December 5 predicts that India will remain the world's fastest-growing large economy in GDP for at least the next three years, and is expected to become the world's third-largest economy as early as 2030.
"In recent years, India has made significant progress in many fields. If it can successfully host the Olympic Games, it will further promote India's development." Zhu Keli said, "The Olympic Games is one of the most popular sports events in the world. Hosting the Olympic Games will make India the focus of global attention and enhance its international status. A large number of tourists and investors "
However, there are still lingering doubts about India’s hosting of large-scale events.
As early as 2010, India hosted the Commonwealth Games, but the preparations for the Games were described as "a huge public relations disaster" by the outside world. Until a month before the opening of the Games, potholes on roads and stadiums were still being renovated, and New Delhi was still "far from ready."
This year's Cricket World Cup in India also attracted criticism. Some fans took to social media to complain that tickets showed sold out online, but footage from the live event showed empty seats. Many people also complained about glitches in the ticket sales process. In addition, problems such as poor transportation connections and lack of basic facilities in the stadium are also obvious.
David Carter, an adjunct professor of sports business at the University of Southern California, said corruption, cost overruns and other controversies have become an important part of most Olympic Games, and "this may become particularly obvious in India." "An event like the Olympics requires a deep understanding of the wishes and needs of broadcasters and sponsors, as well as an acceptable level of community support," Carter said.
Bai Wenxi also told China Business News that financing, venue construction, security issues, etc. will all become challenges for India in hosting the Olympics. "India's sports infrastructure is relatively weak, and a large number of stadiums and facilities need to be built or renovated, which requires a lot of financial investment and technical support. Hosting the Olympics needs to take into account issues such as cultural differences and language barriers, such as how to meet the needs of athletes from different countries and regions, and how to solve language communication problems. In addition, India's domestic security situation is relatively severe, so security issues are one of the important factors that must be considered in hosting the Olympics." He said.
Zhu Keli said: "India's talent pool in the sports field is relatively weak and lacks high-level athletes and coaches. In order to cultivate more outstanding sports talents, India needs to strengthen school physical education, improve grassroots sports training levels, and increase the training and selection of high-level athletes."