New Delhi: Aiming to boost the 2036 Olympic hosting bid, India has registered interest in hosting the 2028 U-20 World Athletics Championship. The move is aimed towards gaining experience for hosting the 2036 Olympic Games in the country.
According to a report in The Indian Express, India gave the letter of intent to World Athletics chief and International Olympic Committee (IOC) presidential candidate Sebastian Coe last week. Coe, who was in the country last week, met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit.
2028 U-20 World Athletics Championship: A stepping stone to 2036
The attempt to host the U-20 Worth Athletics Championship is part of the plan to boost the Olympic bid. According to The Indian Express, during a high-level meeting between officials and ministers from Gujarat and the Centre, a collective conscience of hosting international multi-disciplinary events featuring Olympic sports to help the country and the state gain experience for hosting big events was made.
One of the main agendas of the meeting was the unforgiving weather in Gujarat in July and August, which are also the preferred months to host an Olympics. Recommendations were also made to relax norms for liquor permits, contact the world’s biggest hotel chains to set up their units in the state and hire top-class consultants to prepare a robust bid for the 2036 Olympics.
These discussions were held around the same time as the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) officially submitted a Letter of Intent to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to host the Olympic Games.
Ahmedabad’s Olympic ambitions: Infrastructure development and event hosting
While the IOA did not mention a preferred host city in the LOI, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had previously stated that Ahmedabad is the first choice to host the Games.
Over the next five years, the state and central governments will join hands to turn Ahmedabad into a big multi-sporting destination.
The 2028 U-20 World Athletics Championship is part of the wishlist that also includes the 2026 fencing World Cup, the 2027 women’s Volleyball World Championship, the 2028 Asian swimming Championship, the World Judo Championships, and the World Athletics Relay Championship in 2026.
Multi-sport events like the Youth Olympics, South Asian Games, World Beach Games and World Military Games are also part of the hosting plan.
While India will hope to gain much-needed experience by hosting these multi-discipline events and boosting their Olympics bid, they face stiff competition from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Indonesia.
India aim to bolster their 2036 Olympic bid by hosting several multi-discipline global events including the 2028 U-20 World Athletics Championships. This move includes infrastructure improvements and event hosting experience gains. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
