Kejriwal government's plan to bring Olympics to Delhi in 2048: Is India there yet?

Earlier in the week, Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, while presenting the Budget, vowed that his government has pledged to bid for the Olympics venue for 2048.

"Our government aims to bring the sports facilities and the atmosphere towards sports competitions to such a level through the new Sports University so that we can apply to host the 39th Olympic sports competitions for 2048,” he said in his speech.

The reason Sisodia is aiming for 2048 is that bids for the next three venues for the Olympics are already in. More importantly, International Olympics Committee, or the IOC, has a tedious bidding process that involves clearing various parameters.

Hosting the mega sporting event has been a developmental milestone for cities across the world. China, which played host to Olympics in Beijing in 2008, began preparations for it in 1985. But the Kejriwal government's plan, while ambitious, may also be seen as far-fetched by many, especially since India's previous attempts have failed.

IOC is currently deciding the venue for the 2032 Olympics, which is likely to be Brisbane. Later, cities for the next three fixtures — 2036, 2040, 2044 — will be picked from those already in the fray.

Read | 500 national flags, 2048 Olympics bid: Key takeaways from Kejriwal's Delhi Budget

How is the venue picked?

Interested cities can bid for the opportunity after which the authorities take a call. Earlier, however, several cities went head-to-head in the fight for the venue. The members of the committee used to vote for a winner based on several requirements. This process was expensive and deemed unfair.

But now, the IOC directly engages with the aspirants' governments, other stakeholders and then recommends to those at the Executive level to finalise a venue.

Not India's first go at Olympics venue

Earlier governments too had made a bid for hosting the Olympics. India wanted to be the host for the 2024 fixture with Delhi and Ahmedabad as potential venues. However, the plan did not gain any momentum.

IOC president Thomas Bach, on his first visit to India, thought the country was not prepared. "Because of different reasons, we think it will be a little too quick for India to have a successful Olympics in 2024," he had said.

Delhi isn't the first state government to make a wish. Erstwhile Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, too, had pitched Mumbai as a venue for 2032.

Preparation needed

Sisodia doesn't believe Delhi as a venue for the 2048 Olympics is impossible, simply because there is substantial time to prepare. “This may seem far away, but we have to bid for it 10 years before 2048. Before that, it will take 15 years to build adequate infrastructure, to create an atmosphere where sports flourishes and to bring our players to a level where they bring medals in the sports competitions leading to Olympics 2048,” he said.