During an event in Greater Noida, India’s Sports Minister Anurag Thakur expressed the country’s ambition to host the Olympics in the future. Thakur highlighted the importance of organizing high-quality tournaments across various sporting disciplines to elevate India to the status of a sporting superpower.
Australia’s Victoria state recently withdrew as the host for the 2026 Commonwealth Games due to rising costs. When asked about India’s potential interest in hosting the 2026 CWG, Thakur didn’t specifically address that event but confidently stated that India aspires to host the Olympics in the future.
Hosting major sporting events like the Olympics or Commonwealth Games provides a significant opportunity for a country to showcase its capabilities in organizing and managing international competitions, as well as promoting sports and athletic talent domestically.
Thakur mentioned that India is working towards hosting the Olympics and will share good news at the right time. He emphasized the improved performance of Indian athletes and the increased accountability, transparency, and professionalism of sporting federations.
Currently, India is hosting the Asian Junior and Youth Weightlifting Championships from July 28 to August 5 at the Gautam Buddha University. The event will see participation from 220 athletes representing 18 Asian countries. Thakur expressed pride in hosting this championship for the first time and highlighted the government’s focus on hosting big tournaments in different sports to become a sporting superpower.
Thakur also mentioned that India successfully organized the Commonwealth Senior, Junior, and Youth Championships from July 12 to 16 at the same venue. He believes hosting these championships will boost India’s standing and pave the way for hosting future World Championships.
The minister informed that the final contingent list for the upcoming Asian Games in China will be announced soon. He also mentioned his decision to ensure the participation of football teams that didn’t fall in the top eight, demonstrating his commitment to promoting sports and giving opportunities to athletes.
Thakur shared plans to inaugurate and dedicate 1000 new Khelo India centers to the country by the end of this year.