India not bidding for Games, says IOC chief
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NEW DELHI: IOC supremo Thomas Bach met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday with both leaders unanimous in their belief that it was too early for the country to bid for the Olympics.
The Indian media had been rife with speculation that the Modi government would sanction a bid for the 2024 Summer Games, even if it was only to test the waters.
A release from India’s official Press Information Bureau did not mention a bid being discussed between the prime minister and the president of the International Olympic Committee.
“The Prime Minister sought the IOC president’s support in making India a hub of sports infrastructure, sports technology, and sports equipment manufacturing,” the release said.
“The Prime Minister expressed his intention to promote India on the global sports map.” Bach also ended speculation about the bid, saying there was no proposal from the prime minister on India hosting the Games in the future.
“I was a bit surprised at the speculation for a bid because we thought it was too late to have a successful bid for 2024,” Bach told reporters at the end of the day-long trip.
“I am happy Prime Minister Modi also shared the same opinion.” Bach said a tripartite agreement had been signed with the Indian government, the Indian Olympic Association and the IOC to promote sports in India.
“India is a sleeping giant and we discussed how to wake up this sleeping giant,” he said.
New Delhi successfully hosted two Asian Games in 1951 and 1982, but the 2010 Commonwealth Games attracted embarrassing headlines due to corruption and delays in construction — which Modi would be desperate to avoid.
With Tokyo due to host the Games in 2020, Asia is seen as an unlikely venue for the 2024 edition, where Paris, Hamburg, Rome and Budapest are tipped as leading contenders.
The deadline for submitting an interest in the bid is mid-September.
The Indian Express reported on Monday that the sports ministry had submitted a dossier to the Prime Minister’s Office highlighting the pros and cons of hosting the Games.
The dossier projected a budget of between $12 billion to $15 billion, with New Delhi being suggested as the bid city, the paper said quoting unnamed ministry sources.
Despite being the world’s second most populous nation, India has a poor record in Olympic competition.
Shooter Abhinav Bindra, who won gold in 2008 in the 10-metre air rifle, remains the country’s only individual champion, while the last of India’s eight field hockey titles came back in 1980.
The medal haul from the London Games in 2012 was two silver and four bronze, leaving India 55th in the medal table.
Bach met Indian Olympic Association officials and attended a lunch hosted by sports minister Sarbananda Sonowal before meeting Modi in the evening.
Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2015
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Comments (51) Closed
Apr 28, 2015 01:01pm
LOL.. Don't even dream about it...
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Apr 28, 2015 01:10pm
We are still not ready for Olympics. It is a big, really BIG event. It will take time, hopefully 2030s would be appropriate. 2024 is too early.
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Apr 28, 2015 01:18pm
Why didnt he met NS for pak
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Apr 28, 2015 01:24pm
@Hassan
That is a fine example of realistic approach. Of course, we will dream about it. We have a dream. Many of them have already materialised. lol
Do you people have any dreams other than Kashmir which will never materialise?
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Apr 28, 2015 01:41pm
@Hassan Will consult you!
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Apr 28, 2015 01:41pm
New Delhi is the most polluted capital city in the world...hosting the Olympics needed a clean up of the environment.
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Apr 28, 2015 01:47pm
@N.S: There are at least 10 major cities in India apart from Delhi (and much better than Delhi) especially in Western and Southern India who can host the games!
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Apr 28, 2015 01:53pm
Indeed we need to work more towards making environment green and infrastructure strong, but its a task which we have achieved on a small scale by hosting commonwealth games in New Delhi (2010) successfully. Olympics will not be inevitable to host in the near future.@@@@ @Hassan to achieve something you have to dream for it!!!
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Apr 28, 2015 01:57pm
@Hassan : When the times comes... Just see who will be dreaming and who will be hosting it. And that time is not far.
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Apr 28, 2015 02:07pm
@Hassan we will dream and achieve that dream for sure
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Apr 28, 2015 02:08pm
@Hassan dare we do
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Apr 28, 2015 02:10pm
@Hassan India can dream because they have $12-15bn but what about Pak??
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Apr 28, 2015 02:13pm
Too early indeed. India has hauled more individual medals in the last summer Olympic games than pakistan ever has in its ENTIRE Olympic history.
Nowhere near the olympic giants that are Russia, China or the USA, it still managed a decent 37th position in total medals tally. Despite her humongous poverty, malnutrition and corruption.
I applaud India for improving its gains at every Olympics for the last 20 years.
Would it be great to host an Olympic games- of course. But lets be honest these games are expensive chest beating exercises which ultimately do little to return the precious tax rupees that will be spent to fund them.
Ultimately even if India doesnt host an Olympic event for the next 50 years it doesnt matter- what matters is getting more competitive athletes out there- which it is slowly but surely accomplishing.
For all the haters out there, what have your nations achieved with similar social and economic structures?
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Apr 28, 2015 02:15pm
Why to waste billions which can be used in betterment of people
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Apr 28, 2015 02:30pm
I am surprised they even thought about it after the commonwealth game blunders!
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Apr 28, 2015 02:38pm
India is not ready but Pak is with all the ammunition.Will be bigger atleast 1000 times than 1972 event
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Apr 28, 2015 02:38pm
Hosting Olympics is a very expensive event. India is a developed country, not a rich as UK, Japan, US, Russia, China, Canada, Australia.
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Apr 28, 2015 02:44pm
I wish this type of high end event be placed in South Asian countries for it's own development.
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Apr 28, 2015 03:01pm
Not in new delhi. Lets build a new world-class city from the scratch somewhere in the himalayan valley. Or rebuild an existing place like Shimla, Nainitaal, Dalhousie..etc. The climate and geography will suit the global audience and we can get a new global city in the process. We can bid for 2028 Olympics.
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Apr 28, 2015 03:15pm
I think we should have at least sent a sincere bid .So what if we had not got it?.No nation in it's first attempt has ever been successful in winning an Olympic bid..But had we sent a bid it would have made us a serious contender for 2028 Olympics..Very sad..Not what we expected from Modi at least.
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Apr 28, 2015 03:27pm
Wise decision. every country that hosted olympics lost money on the wrong projection. That includes the US a, Russia and China. Bottom line-It is not profitable.
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Apr 28, 2015 03:53pm
After what happened in 2013 SAARC games, why would anyone hold Olympics there? Has everyone forgotten in which conditions players were lodged and the corruption scandals following the games.
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Apr 28, 2015 04:12pm
Mr. Modi is a wise man and never takes decision in hurry. Don't jump to conclusion by his move. He already planned bright future for India and don't want to get distracted in other thing this time. If, you don't have food to eat, it is useless to think for Airplane (ghar me nahi daane aama chali bhunane). Same thing here, far sure his first preference is development which is desperately needed in every sphere. Indian can bid for 2028 Olympic and will definitely win.
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Apr 28, 2015 05:16pm
@Hassan dreaming is the first step towards realisation of a wish....... if india wishes to organise olympics........they will sooner or later...... in the meantime you engage with zimbabwe if they are ready to come and play
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Apr 28, 2015 05:21pm
Poor Hassan seems to have hit a raw nerve of neighbors. But I like the knee jerk reaction, image consciousness of Indians, and the quick rebuttal by many people.
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Apr 28, 2015 05:29pm
pak can and wants it, BOOM BOOm
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Apr 28, 2015 05:37pm
@Hassan Dreaming is GOOD.
Working out a game plan to make dreams happen is WHAT LIFE IS ABOUT?
India WILL become a sport power....abundant talent is available,but,an infrastructure must be created,money found,sustained motivation must be present?:):)
I think Pakistan can take a small step and put cricket in Pakistan back in order?
If you cannot get a game plan and execution ready,,,just dreaming would give you a heart ache?:):)
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Apr 28, 2015 05:53pm
@Hassan Anything bad in dreaming? Don't you too dream about your future and all?
And might as well remember the sentence "I have a dream..." and see where America in now, with all the warts and pimples.
So bro, you too dream big about your good future.
Best of Luck.
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Apr 28, 2015 06:03pm
@k k tiwari ,india Fully agree with you. We need to use our resources productively now. We have a long way to go before we should think of such events.
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Apr 28, 2015 06:08pm
PM Modi is the best thing to have happened to India. He has a practical approach to every issue. He knows the priorities well and the Olympics is not there in his list at least for the next 20 years.
P.S. : I was never a supporter of Modi till May, 2014. His energetic and practical approach to the problems faced by my country, the way his Govt. functions especially in foreign policy, economy etc. have made me his follower. Every country in South Asia needs Modis.
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Apr 28, 2015 06:15pm
@TanJ No floos, in whole country, forget cities.
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Apr 28, 2015 06:17pm
@Haroon Absolutely. And how the IHF, hockey federation was about to suspend them for comical display of three seperate committees saying they represented India Hockey. Even the Government did not know, who represented them.
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Apr 28, 2015 06:24pm
that's how practical and mature government functions, to all who don't know the reality, the chances for India getting the 2024 games was very little since the competition from European countries was too much, also though these are just games but still one should focus on ROI and i don't see that in just 9 years from now many people would have fancied traveling to India and spending lots of money that would have given us good return on investment, we still need to focus on developing 5 star infrastructure, Asian games and all is ok but Olympics would have put a lot of pressure on the exchequer, where India needs to spend money is on Infrastructure and Defence, Olympics we shall Inshallah get in another 15 or so....
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Apr 28, 2015 07:09pm
Pakistan should concentrate on Zimbabwe's tour this year... It'll be a huge challenge for you..
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Apr 28, 2015 07:25pm
@Hassan India will dream and make it a reality in near future inshallah!!
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Apr 28, 2015 07:37pm
@ZAK aameen!!
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Apr 28, 2015 08:00pm
All my Indians brothers. Hassan might have chosen the word incorrectly as one can dream about anything anytime and dreams have no limitations BUT just try to understand the gist of it. It would definitely be foolish and premature to even think or officially talk about bidding for Olympic in 2024 or even 2030. Bear in mind (specially Pakistani brothers) that we are very much financially capabale to organize Olympic events even in 2020 but its the corruption which would fail us in all the fields be it infrastructure, be it world class facilities to the athelets which are the key things to organize such a giant event. If we go for it now then the only thing we would achieve after the event would be SHAME. Mind it.
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Apr 28, 2015 08:04pm
A country living on borrowed money cannot borrow more and go into further debt. India has the second highest debt in the world. Dont live in false dreams,
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Apr 28, 2015 08:32pm
@goldconsumer : how many games did your country host ?
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Apr 28, 2015 08:46pm
The sleeping giant can be waken when it charts its own course, writes its own narratives, and kicks the NGOs-played-by-foreign-strings, the media-beholden-to-specal-interests, the leftists, and teaches its mind-colonized citizens how to shake off their colonization. Then the giant can show what has been hidden from the world in layers of hate, calumny, ignorance, propaganda and bigotry.
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Apr 28, 2015 09:46pm
@zak don't worry...be happy, remember Pakistan ranks 81 and India ranks 117 in happiness index, you should be happy if India host the Olympics, India is our neighbor, so any good news are good for us too.
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Apr 28, 2015 10:22pm
every decision taken by India is extensively debated and commented in Pakistani media, I appreciate it at least we know the pros and cons of the decision and its future impact.
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Apr 28, 2015 11:01pm
I have a dream, dream of an india which is on the top of the world.All indians know we are near to that dream.Olympics is a part of that.Jai hind.
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Apr 28, 2015 11:54pm
@Zaheer
"We are still not ready for Olympics. It is a big, really BIG event. It will take time, hopefully 2030s would be appropriate. 2024 is too early."
Two of the biggest events in the world are actually hosted by India. First is Kumbh mela, attended by 100 million people. Second is Indian parliamentary election which involves making arrangement for voting for about 700 million Indians.
No other country in the world comes even close staging such big events as these two.
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Apr 29, 2015 04:37am
The Commonwealth games were a clear indicator that India is a LONG way from being capable of hosting the Olympics.
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Apr 29, 2015 05:44am
Hosting Olympics has never been a sound economic proposition. Last time, a host made a profit was in 1984 Los Angeles Olympics under the astute leadership of Peter Uberoth. Ever since, every hosting nation have made wild claims about the expected economic and social impact on their country. Everyone of them have come up short. Except for bragging rights, the event had become obscenely expensive and commercial in nature. Sportsmanship has ceded way to jingoism, technology has replaced human endeavor and spirit.
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Apr 29, 2015 07:33am
@N.S So is Beijing. And by the way it is IOC President who is dying to host an Olympic in India and not Indian government. He has expressed desire that India must bid for 2028 if not 2024. Go check on internet yourself.
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Apr 29, 2015 07:46am
@zak Your irrelevant data show the low education level in Pakistan. India is not even in top 20 highest external debt list. Moreover, at least we can dream of hosting Olympics but you...you cannot dream of hosting even a cricket match in Pakistan. Sorry! That might have hurt.
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Apr 29, 2015 08:15am
@zak : "A country living on borrowed money cannot borrow more and go into further debt. India has the second highest debt in the world"
Second highest debt in the world? Madrassah stats huh?
BTW, India has 27th highest national debt in the world not 2nd highest & your best friend China has 5th highest national debt. (Source - IMF)
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Apr 29, 2015 09:35am
@karan pakistan sports is badly managed due to appointment by political cronyism. Sooner or later, this will clean up, and pakistan with its natural sports inclined talent, will be among top ten In number of medals in Olympics and other games. India will still be way down. It's a matter of time.
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Apr 29, 2015 11:48am
As per my personal view, even though India can do this kind of events but India should give first preference to education, health, jobs, better infrastructure etc. and then we can for this kind of events.
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