India bids for major international events to boost Olympic hosting hopes
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TOI has learnt that the country has expressed interest in hosting major multisport, continental and world-level events in the coming years to demonstrate its preparedness — and gain valuable experience — to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), as it mounts an aggressive bid to bring home the world's biggest sporting extravaganza.
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Currently, the IOC has put a 'pause' on the host selection process and is set to announce the winning bid in two years' time.
India aims to avoid falling behind, especially with several nations competing for the opportunity.
Confirmed bids include Qatar, Indonesia, Turkey, India and Chile, while other countries such as Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Egypt, Hungary, Italy, Germany, Denmark, and Canada have also expressed interest.
Amidst this tight race, India has launched bids for several key international sports events, including the Commonwealth Games in 2030, the Youth Summer Olympics in 2030 and the Asian Games in 2034.
Sources within the sports administration have confirmed that India has placed bids for the Asian Cup football in 2031, AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup in 2026, and AFC U-17 Asia in 2026.
India previously hosted the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2017. Moreover, India is aiming to secure hosting rights for the World U20 Athletics Championships in 2028, Asian Swimming Championships in 2028 and World Police and Fire Games in 2029.
The country is set to host the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships next month in Ahmedabad, the World Para Athletics Championships here from Sept to Oct, and the Commonwealth Kho Kho meet later this year.
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India is already considered a frontrunner to host CWG 2030, with the Games' global governing body, Commonwealth Sport, expressing satisfaction with India's legacy plan, cost-effectiveness, sustainability vision and regional outreach to deliver a smarter event. India last hosted a full-fledged multisport event in 2010 — the Delhi CWG.
The nation has entered the 'Continuous Dialogue Process' with the IOC's Future Host Commission (FHC) on Olympics 2036, and the next step will be the 'Targeted Dialogue Process' before the FHC recommends a preferred host country to the IOC Congress.
India has officially announced Gujarat's Ahmedabad as the host city to conduct the Summer Games, should the country win the bid.
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