Amid issues, India’s 2036 Olympics bid in ‘continuous dialouge’ with IOC

new delhi: India’s bid to host the 2036 Olympics is in the ‘continuous dialogue’ phase with the International Olympic Committee’s Future Host Commission, Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya told the Lok Sabha on Monday.

In response to a query from Aam Aadmi Party’s MP from Sangrur, Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, Mandaviya said the entire bidding process is being handled by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

“IOA has submitted a letter of intent to IOC. The bid is now in the ‘Continuous Dialogue’ phase with the Future Host Commission of IOC,” the Minister stated in the lower house.

The minister, however, did not respond to Hayer’s specific query of whether India is bidding to host the Olympics across multiple venues. Hayer asked if the proposed plan includes Hockey in Bhubaneswar, Rowing in Bhopal, Canoeing/Kayaking in Pune and Cricket in Mumbai. “Bidding to host the Olympic Games in India is the responsibility of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and allotment of hosting rights for the Olympics is done by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) through a detailed host selection process,” Mandaviya stated.

Although a host city has not been proposed by India officially, the Gujarat government has been at the forefront and its Sports Minister Harsh Sanghavi was part of an Indian delegation that visited IOC headquarters to discuss the bid last month.

Mandaviya also faced a question on the pitiable state of Indian football. While the national men’s team has been hurtling from one setback to another, domestic football is also in doldrums after the top-tier Indian Super League was placed on hold due to technical issues. Congress’ Adoor Prakash, who represents the Attingal constituency in Kerala, asked whether the Government “noted the declining situation of Indian football” and that the team has slipped to the lowest FIFA ranking in the last nine years.