With India already hosting the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the country is preparing with full strength to host the 2036 Olympics.
Inaugurating the 72nd National Volleyball Tournament in his Lok Sabha constituency of Varanasi through video-conferencing, Modi said, “The 2030 Commonwealth Games are going to be held in India. India is also preparing with full strength to host the 2036 Olympics. The effort behind this is to provide more and more opportunities for more and more athletes to compete.”
India is bidding to host the 2036 Olympics with Ahmedabad as the candidate city.
India is in competition with Qatar, Turkey, Indonesia, Hungary, and Germany, which want to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 1936 Olympics. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has, meanwhile, paused the host selection process as it reviews the current rules.
Last November, Ahmedabad was officially confirmed as the host city for the 100th Commonwealth Games, edging out Abuja, Nigeria.
Meanwhile, Modi on Sunday said that major reforms were transforming the sports ecosystem in India by creating not just good infrastructure or funding mechanisms, but also exposure for young people.
“Today, the country is on the reform express. Every sector of the country, and every development destination, is connecting with this reform express, and the sports sector is one of them. The Government has also implemented major reforms in the sports sector. The National Sports Governance Act and the Khelo India Policy 2025, through such provisions, will provide opportunities to the right talent and increase transparency in sports organisations,” he said.
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“Initiatives like TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme) are transforming the sports ecosystem in India. On one hand, we are creating good infrastructure and funding mechanisms, and at the same time, we are also working to provide young people with excellent exposure. You may have noticed that in the last decade, more than 20 major international events such as the FIFA U-17 World Cup, Hockey World Cup, and major chess events have been organised in several cities,” the Prime Minister said.
The Central government’s TOPS, or Target Olympic Podium Scheme, trains and promotes high-performance athletes with the target of getting Olympic medals.
Modi said the government was working to give athletes exposure to Olympic sports at the school level with the Khelo India campaign, as hundreds of young people have had the opportunity to rise to the national level.
“Just a few days ago, the Sansad Khel Mahotsav (Parliamentary Sports Festival) also concluded. Nearly one crore young people showcased their talent in this festival. I am a member of Parliament from Kashi (Varanasi), and therefore I will proudly tell you that during the Sansad Khel Mahotsav, nearly 3,00,000 young people from my constituency of Kashi also demonstrated their skills on the field,” the Prime Minister said.
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Linking the game of volleyball with the country’s development, the Prime Minister said, “I see many commonalities between India’s development story and volleyball. Volleyball teaches us that no victory is achieved alone. Our victory depends on our coordination, our trust, and the readiness of our team. Everyone has their own role, their own responsibility. And we succeed only when everyone fulfills their responsibility diligently and seriously. Our country is also progressing in the same way.”
Modi said that right from cleanliness drives to digital payments, and from the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign to the campaign for a developed India, the country is progressing because every citizen, every section of society, and every state is working with a collective consciousness, with the spirit of “India First,” for the country.
Modi said that India’s growth and economy are being widely praised around the world and added that when a country develops, progress is not limited to the economic front. “It is also reflected in the sports field,” Modi said.
“Since 2014, India’s performance in various sports has consistently improved. We feel immense pride when we see Gen Z hoisting the tricolor on the sports field,” he added.
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Modi said that both the government and society were earlier indifferent towards sports, because of which very few young people chose sports as a career, adding that the situation had changed in the last decade.
“The government has significantly increased the sports budget. Today, India’s sports model has become athlete-centric. Talent identification, scientific training, attention to their nutrition, and transparent selection—the interests of the players are now paramount at every level,” he said.