'Trying Our Best To Resolve Issue': Junior Sports Minister Raksha Nikhil Khadse On The IOA Dilemma

The government is trying its best to resolve the differences in the Indian Olympic Association in order to ensure a strong and successful bid for the 2036 Olympic Games, said Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Raksha Nikhil Khadse here on Friday.

IOA president PT Usha has been engaged in a raging fight with 12 EC members who have refused to ratify the appointment of Raghuram Iyer as the IOA CEO made by her in January. The ongoing tussle is not portraying the right image of the country before the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as India seeks to host the Summer Games and Paralympic Games in 2036.

India has submitted a 'Letter of Intent', expressing its desire to host the Games, to the IOC's Future Host Commission, taking the first concrete step in an ambitious plan after months of informal dialogue with the international body.

"I think everyone is trying to work together and we are trying our best to resolve the issues of IOA. The ministry is trying hard to solve all the differences and issues so that our target of hosting a big event in India is fulfilled," the junior Sports Minister said.

"For that we all need to work together. We need to take this (Olympic) bid forward on a positive note," she said.

With the submission of a 'Letter of Intent', India has progressed from "Informal Dialogue" to the "Continuous Dialogue" stage of the host election process.

In this stage, the IOC conducts a "feasibility study" of the progress of projects associated with the Games in the aspiring host nations.

The next phase of the process would be "Targetted Dialogue", which would require the submission of an edition-specific formal bid, which would be assessed by the Future Host Commission.

The process will end with the host nation being selected.

Khadse said the Narendra Modi-led government is committed to enhancing the profile of Indian sports and a successful 2036 Olympics bid will provide a big boost to the country.

"It takes a lot of time for the (Olympic bid) procedure to be complete. The final decision is with the IOC. We have put forward our bid through the National Olympic Committee, which is the IOA. It's a start, we have taken a step forward. We are trying because the Olympics is big platform," Khadse said.

"If we get the hosting rights, then definitely it will a proud moment for India. India is no longer lagging in any sector, and especially in sports sector we want to do more work in the coming days. The government is committed to bringing Indian sports to the forefront." Khadse stressed on the importance of Khelo India and justified a budget hike from Rs 596 crore to Rs 900 crore for the programme.

"In every district, there is a Khelo India centre. We are seeing the output of these centres. A prime example (of success) is the athletes winning medals for the country at the Paris Olympics, many of whom are from Khelo India centres.

“We are seeing the benefit of the budget increase. We are trying to provide them with all facilities at these centres.”