India is preparing with full strength to host 2036 Olympics, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that India was preparing with full strength to host the 2036 Olympics, adding that the 2030 Commonwealth Games would be held in the country.

While inaugurating the 72nd National Volleyball Tournament in Varanasi through videoconferencing, Modi further said that major reforms were transforming the sports ecosystem in India by creating not just good infrastructure or funding mechanisms, but also exposure for young people.

“Today, the country is on the reform express. Every sector of the country, and every development destination, is connecting with this reform express, and the sports sector is one of them. The Government has also implemented major reforms in the sports sector. The National Sports Governance Act and the Khelo India Policy 2025, through such provisions, will provide opportunities to the right talent and increase transparency in sports organisations,” he said.

“Initiatives like TOPS are transforming the sports ecosystem in India. On one hand, we are creating good infrastructure and funding mechanisms, and at the same time, we are also working to provide young people with excellent exposure. You may have noticed that in the last decade, more than 20 major international events such as the FIFA U-17 World Cup, Hockey World Cup, and major chess events have been organised in several cities.”

The central Government’s TOPS, or Target Olympic Podium Scheme, trains and promotes high-performance athletes with the target of getting Olympic medals.

“The 2030 Commonwealth Games are also going to be held in India. India is also preparing with full strength to host the 2036 Olympics. The effort behind this is to provide more and more opportunities for more and more athletes to compete.”

Modi said the Government was working to give athletes exposure to Olympic sports at the school level with the Khelo India campaign, as hundreds of young people have had the opportunity to rise to the national level.

“Just a few days ago, the Sansad Khel Mahotsav (Parliamentary Sports Festival) also concluded. Nearly one crore young people showcased their talent in this festival. I am the member of Parliament from Kashi, and therefore I will proudly tell you that during the Sansad Khel Mahotsav, nearly 3,00,000 young people from my constituency of Kashi also demonstrated their skills on the field,” the prime minister said.

India’s development story and volleyball “I see many commonalities between India’s development story and volleyball. Volleyball teaches us that no victory is achieved alone. Our victory depends on our coordination, our trust, and the readiness of our team. Everyone has their own role, their own responsibility. And we succeed only when everyone fulfills their responsibility diligently and seriously. Our country is also progressing in the same way,” said the prime minister Modi said that right from cleanliness drives to digital payments, and from the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign to the campaign for a developed India, the country is progressing because every citizen, every section of society, and every state is working with a collective consciousness, with the spirit of “India First,” for the country.

Modi said that India’s growth and economy are being widely praised around the world, but when a country develops, progress is not limited to the economic front, adding that it is also reflected in the sports field.

Claiming that the country feels immense pride when Gen X hoists the tricolor on the sports field, the prime minister said, “Since 2014, India’s performance in various sports has consistently improved. We feel immense pride when we see Gen Z hoisting the tricolor on the sports field.”

Modi said that both the Government and society were earlier indifferent towards sports, because of which very few young people chose sports as a career, adding that the situation had changed in the last decade.

“The Government has significantly increased the sports budget. Today, India’s sports model has become athlete-centric. Talent identification, scientific training, attention to their nutrition, and transparent selection—the interests of the players are now paramount at every level,” he said.