India’s bid to host the Olympics in the future has received a huge boost as French President Emmanuel Macron has assured India of France’s support in hosting the event in the future.
India and France have always shared excellent diplomatic ties and Macron’s statement will further solidify the bond between the two nations. France’s support for India comes at a time when the world is just beginning to wake up to India’s potential as a sporting superpower. India achieved its highest medal tally at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 and will look to better that at the 2024 Olympics to be held in Paris between July 28 and August 11.
Though India welcomes France’s support to host the Olympics, one cannot deny that France will be looking to benefit from this partnership. For France, this would be an opportunity to partner with the most populous and powerful countries in the world as India attempts to establish itself as a sporting superpower.
While addressing a banquet hosted by Indian President Draupadi Murmu, Macron said, “We would be happy to build a stronger cooperation on sports with India. We will definitely support your intention to organize the Olympic Games in India in the future.”
India is looking to bid to host the 2036 Olympics but faces stiff competition from countries like South Korea, Egypt and Qatar. And this is where the support of a country like France that has prior experience of hosting an Olympics could prove to be invaluable for India. Moreover, India is looking to host the Olympics for the first time and that should also work to our advantage.
In a bid to prepare to host the 2036 Olympics, the Gujarat government has formed a separate company and earmarked Rs 6,000 crore for the construction of six sports complexes. The construction of these sporting complexes is expected to be complete by 2030 so that India can host the 2036 Olympic Games.
