India will be hosting an International Olympic Committee (IOC) session at the Jio Convention Centre in Mumbai in 2023. This is the landmark achievement for Indian sports in general. Mumbai received a historic 99% of the votes in favour of its bid. A total of 75 members were into candidature to host the IOC session in 2023.
An IOC session is the annual meeting of the members of the IOC to decide the primary activities of the Olympic Movement. The IOC meeting comprises of 101 voting members and 45 honorary members. The IOC session also includes the adoption and amendment of the Olympic Charter. The IOC session will also take a call on the Olympic host city. Indian Olympic Association president Narinder Batra and IOC member Nita Ambani shared their thoughts to the media after the decision was taken.
This will be the second time India will host the IOC session. The first time they hosted this event was back in 1983 in the national capital, New Delhi. “The Olympic Movement is back to India after a 40-year wait. I am truly grateful to the International Olympic Committee for entrusting India with the honour of hosting the IOC Session in Mumbai in 2023. This will be a significant development for India’s Olympic aspiration and will herald the start of a new era for Indian sport,” said Nita Ambani. Mrs Ambani has been working heavily to develop sports in India through her Reliance Foundation helping young kids shape into stars of tomorrow in different spots.
Nita Ambani shared the overall benefit of sports and its influence on youngsters. “Sport has always been a beacon of hope and inspiration for millions around the world. We are one of the youngest countries in the world today. I’m excited for the youth of India to embrace and experience first-hand the magic of the Olympics. It is our dream to strengthen this partnership further and host the Olympic Games in India in the years to come,” Mrs Ambani added.
India’s aim to host an Olympic Games is not unknown and Narinder Batra feels that this is a big step in the right direction for the country to turn into a sporting superpower. Speaking on the successful bidding process IOA President Dr Narinder Batra said, “This is the start of a new era for India sport – an era that features the long-term goal of hosting the Olympic Games in India. We are ambitious and recognize our objectives are bold. But, India is on an exciting journey and we want the Olympic Movement to play a central part in building a brighter future for our next generation. Delivering a truly memorable IOC Session in Mumbai in 2023, with a strong emphasis on youth potential, sustainability and innovation will be one of the first steps to showcase India’s new sporting capacity.”
India’s performance at the Tokyo Summer Games were sensational as they delivered their best ever performance with the highest number of medals. They also saw Neeraj Chopra winning the first gold medal in Athletics and hopefully, in coming years, more records will be broken by many Indian athletes.
