India’s Olympics bid

India recently made an informal bid for hosting the 2036 Olympics Games at the opening of 141st Session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

About Olympics:

• The Games originated in Olympia, Greece about 3,000 years ago and was revived by Pierre de Coubertin with the first Olympics held in 1896, at Athens.
• They are the world’s foremost multi-sports event where athletes from different nations gather at the same time and place, in the spirit of friendly competition.
• Symbol: Five interlocking rings representing the 5 continents.
• Motto: Faster – Higher – Stronger.
• The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is a governing body based in Lausanne, Switzerland, and is responsible for organizing the modern (Summer, Winter, and Youth) Olympic Games.
• Games are governed by the rules of the IOC, not by the government of the host country.
• India hosted the IOC session for the second time after a gap of about 40 years, after the 86th session was held in New Delhi (1983).

Processes for a host country:

• Official proposal: A National Olympic Committee (NOC) must be appointed to approve a plan on behalf of a country, and approach the IOC for open dialogue.
• No voting or competitive bidding: IOC removed the planners and presentation pitches to reduce the cost after it stopped the procedure of bidding in 2019.
• Assessment/Election Phase: Human development context of the city and country, and leverages third-party independent expertise and specific human development indicators.
• Other aspects like geopolitical, economic, sports and sustainability are also assessed.
• Continuous dialogue phase: This phase involves an exchange of insights on infrastructure, organizing and financial issue.
• This is a non-committal stage where a country can withdraw anytime from the bid.
• Targeted Dialogue Phase: After a serious bid, a city/region would be known as a preferred host city.
• The IOC’s Future Host Commission for Olympics can recommend to the IOC Executive Board to enter into a targeted dialogue phase with the bidder.
• A detailed plan of action is prepared after discussions with all stakeholders (government and private) for a unique representation, different from earlier Olympics editions.

Factors in India’s Favour:

• Reduction in costs: The Brisbane Games 2032 incurred 80% less cost during the candidature phase (project planners, public affairs, public relations, videos, etc.).
• Long-term benefits: It would boost sporting infrastructure, tourism, employment opportunities, and soft power for India.
• Favourable Geopolitics: India’s status after hosting G20 aligns with global presence and as the world’s fastest growing economy.
• Alternative: India is looking to host the Youth Olympics in 2030, which does not follow the same procedure as the Summer Games and has more investment from the IOC.

Challenges for India:

• Past experiences: New Delhi hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2010 and Asian Games in 1982, but infrastructure is inoperative and new one is investment intensive.
• Competition: The decision of the 2036 host will only happen in 2025 and second and about 10 host cities are interested in similar bid.
• Heavy financial investment and increased debt.
• Upgraded infrastructure in one city or region.
• Weather conditions.

Ref: Source