CHENNAI: India are successful in bidding for the 2036 Olympic Games, it will be hosted at Amdavad. Though the buzz was doing the rounds for a while, this is the first official communication that confirms that Amdavad in Gujarat will host the Games. What is interesting is that in the official communique between Indian stakeholders and the International Olympic Committee, Amdavad — the local name for Ahmedabad — has been put forward.
As reported by The New Indian Express, an Indian delegation had flown to IOC headquarters for a meeting with Future Host Commission on Tuesday. Though new IOC president Kirsty Coventry halted the 2036 Olympic bid process, the officials consisting of Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha and Gujarat sports minister Harsh Sanghavi had flown to Switzerland for the meeting. Apart from top officials from Gujarat, there were other Union sports ministry officials as well.
Since the host city plays an integral part in the bidding process, Amdavad seems to be the new nomenclature for the city. It will soon turn into a registered organising committee with trademark and protected by intellectual property rights like Paris 2024, LA28 or Tokyo 2020.
When the IOA had sent the Letter of Intent in October last year, it did not name a host city. There were speculations that the Games could be held at different cities across India. But going by the official statement made by the Indian delegation from IOC headquarters, India are engaging in “continuous dialogue” process.
What seems even more interesting is that even Chief Executive Officer, Raghuram Iyer, seems to be back in the IOA fold. He was part of the India delegation as well. Majority of IOA executive committee members have been objecting Iyer's appointment in January last year. The IOC had earlier accepted his appointment.