We are prepared, can easily compete with other contenders: Anurag Thakur on 2036 Olympic bid

Sports Minister Anurag Thakur bullish on India's 2036 Olympic hosting bid, confident in country's capabilities despite criticism.

Bullish about India's chances of securing the 2036 Olympic hosting rights, Sports Minister Anurag Thakur said the country has the wherewithal to compete with other contenders in the bidding war and rejected criticism that the money would be better spent on welfare schemes.

The host of the Games will be decided by the International Olympic Committee's future host commission not before 2026 or 2027 as the IOC is due to elect a new president next year. India's ambitious interest has found support from current IOC head Thomas Bach, who believes the country has a "strong case".

"We are fully prepared. Very easily we can," Thakur asserted in an interview to PTI when asked whether India has what it takes to withstand the aggressive bidding war that is likely to ensue given that several countries like Poland, Indonesia, Mexico, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia have either declared interest or are likely to join the race.

"Last year our capital expenditure was Rs 10 lakh crore, and a year before, it was Rs 7.5 lakh crore. This year it is Rs 11,11,111 crore. Sports infrastructure is hardly Rs 5,000 crore. Even if it goes up to Rs 20,000 crore, it can done," he said down-playing the cost factor.

The government of India has started its preparations and it wants to make its case stronger by winning the hosting rights of the 2030 Youth Olympics. Plans are afoot to prepare Ahmedabad as the host city for both the showpieces.

Thakur, who took over the sports ministry from Kiren Rijiju in 2021, will be contesting the ongoing Lok Sabha polls from his family bastion Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh.

The 49-year-old said his confidence in India's bid comes from the rapid pace of growth in the country. He went on to list his government's achievements in infrastructure development.