Hosting Olympics would give India its rightful place in sports, reckons Kiren Rijiju

03/05/2021

Indian sports minister Kiren Rijiju feels that hosting an Olympics would give India its rightful place in sports. The nation has already hosted a couple of Asian Games – in 1951 and 1982 and also the 2010 Commonwealth Games, but the dream of hosting the biggest sports spectacle is still unfulfilled.

Even though India has excelled in the world of sports in the past few years, the nation is yet to establish itself as a major powerhouse. It is a dream for every country to host the biggest spectacle –the Olympics, but few have actually done so, with London hosting it three times, closely followed by Paris and Los Angeles – the two cities that are set to stage the mega-event for the third time in 2024 and 2028 respectively.

India has already hosted a couple of Asian Games – the inaugural edition in 1951 and 1982. In recent times, the Asian country has staged the 2010 Commonwealth Games, but it is yet to host the biggest spectacle – the Olympics. But, the Indian Sports Minister is keen on having the event in the country and feels that hosting an Olympics would give India its rightful place in sports.

"India hasn't claimed its rightful place in sports. The Olympics is the biggest event in sports. London has hosted three Olympics, Tokyo has already hosted an Olympics in 1964 before the one scheduled for this year,” said Kiren Rijiju, during an event.

"The Olympic movement is not complete till India hosts an Olympic Games. We are taking this very seriously," added the official.