2036 Olympics: Will India’s dream come true?

After Paris in 2024, Los Angeles in 2028 and Brisbane in 2032, will the Olympics Torch reach the banks of Sabarmati in 2036?

“It is the dream of 140 crore Indians”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, addressing the 141st session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Mumbai on October 14 last year. He made official what was till then just a buzz in the sporting circle – that India would bid for the right to host the 2036 Olympics in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar.

The road for the ‘dream’ to turn into a ‘reality’ is long and full of hurdles. But the Centre and the state government of Gujarat, along with the private developers, have already set in motion several projects to build world-class sports infrastructures in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar and to prepare the twin cities to host the greatest sporting extravaganza of the world in 2036.

In the recently concluded “Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit”, the state’s BJP government led by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel put up an exhibition detailing the master plan for building state-of-the-art facilities at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave in Ahmedabad at the cost of Rs 6000 crore. The display projecting Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar as the potential hosts of the 2036 Olympics was up for delegates from over 30 countries to see. The Reliance and Adani Group led the corporates in pledging support to the government.

The Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA) is overseeing the construction of six stadiums within the SVP Sports Enclave with a combined seating capacity of 80,000 spectators. This is in addition to the Narendra Modi Stadium at Motera, hailed as the world’s largest cricket stadium, which has a seating capacity of over one lakh people.

The state government got the master plan prepared by Populous Design Private Limited, an architecture company based in Australia. The company is also involved in the next two Olympics, scheduled to be held in Los Angeles in 2028 and Brisbane in 2032. As several host countries – like Brazil after the 2016 Rio Olympics – in the past suffered huge financial losses, the state government also hired a multinational company to provide consultancy services on mobilizing resources. Policies are being framed to invite private hotels and hospitality firms to set up businesses, with a focus on revitalizing urban spaces.

Traditionally, known for the business acumen of its people, the state has been focussing on developing sporting culture by holding “Khel Mahakumbh,” “Ramshe Gujarat” and “Jitshe Gujarat” at the grassroots level. The 36th National Games was held in Ahmedabad in 2022. The government is also planning to host the Youth Olympics 2029 in Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar as a precursor to the 2036 Olympics.

The state government started planning more than one-and-a-half-year ago and studied the experience of the cities that hosted the Olympic Games in the past. A prospective host city needs to showcase before the International Olympic Association (IOC) its preparedness, in terms of sporting infrastructure, accommodation policy and transportation facilities, a senior AUDA officer tells DH.

“Hosting an event like the Olympics can make or break a city as they haven't always gone in positive directions. What is required to be looked at is the aftereffects of infrastructural shock. What will happen after the game is over?” questions Sarthak Bagchi, an assistant professor at Ahmedabad University.

The state government started planning more than one-and-a-half-year ago and studied the experience of past host cities. The basic thing, an official said, one needs to do is showcase before the International Olympic Association (IOC) its preparedness in terms of sporting requirements, accommodation policy, transportation facilities and other basic infrastructure.

The AUDA officer says that the sites have been selected for the 2036 Olympics in such a manner that they are connected with already existing or developing public transportation systems, such as the metro rail network and the under-construction bullet train station at Sabarmati. He says that the second phase of the Sabarmati Riverfront project would also be dovetailed with the construction of sporting infrastructure.

Besides, the state government recently signed an MoU with UAE-based DP World for the third phase of the development of the riverfront. The SVP Sports Enclave and the Riverfront constitute the core area, measuring about 350 acres, being developed as the potential venue for the Olympic Games.

“After studying cities which hosted the Olympics, their failure and success, we are planning to develop our infrastructure in such a way that after completion of the event, they are self-sustainable and can be used for various purposes. For example, an Olympic village for accommodating athletes can be turned into real estate for public use, as London did after the 2012 Olympics,” D P Desai, Chief Executive Officer of the AUDA, says.