Pilavullakandi Thekkeparambil Usha, better known as PT Usha, is looking forward to India getting the chance to host the Olympics by 2036, asserting that India’s sporting might is finally at the level to contest for medals at the world level.
PT Usha, who was elected as the first woman president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), feels the 141st IOC Session being held in Mumbai from October 15 to 17 is a “huge occasion” for India.
“This is a huge occasion for India in the Olympic movement. It’s a good opportunity for us to showcase our capability to the IOC members,” Usha told News18 in an exclusive interview. “We’ll show that we are ready to host the Olympics in our country, hence the good opportunity for us to showcase our capability to the IOC members along with the support of Nita Ambani as an IOC member,” she added.
When asked about India’s ambition to host the Olympics, the athlete, who shined for India at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics right after the last time India hosted the IOC Session in New Delhi, said that any part of India can stage the world meet.
“Our Prime Minister’s vision is also to host the 2036 Olympics so we are getting lots of positive support from the government. We already have good infrastructure facilities in Ahmedabad. In fact, most of our places do… I don’t know where we were going to (host),” the Rajya Sabha member said. “We have the vision of hosting the Olympics and at the same time we have started winning the medals also.”
The session will be a landmark moment for Indian sport and will firmly establish India on the global sporting map, opening up multiple opportunities in organising sporting events, world-class training infrastructure, nurturing talent and enriching the lives of millions of Indian sportspeople. It will also be a significant stepping-stone towards India’s aspirations of hosting the Youth Olympics and the Olympic Games in the future.
The session will be hosted at the state-of-the-art Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai. Situated in the heart of the city at Bandra Kurla Complex, the JWC is the largest convention centre in India and started operations in early 2022. The grand theatre at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) will host the Opening ceremony while the exhibition hall (pavilion) will be the venue for the session meeting.
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