"It is our dream that the 2036 Olympics is hosted on Indian soil" - PM Narendra Modi on his Independence Day address
Along with countries such as Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, and Egypt, India has also bid for the hosting rights of the 2036 Olympics. France President Emmanuel Macron supported this bid made by India a few days back and now Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken up on the matter.
While addressing the nation on its 78th Independence Day, the Prime Minister said:
"India organising the G20 Summit has proven that we have the capability to organise large-scale events....It is our dream that the 2036 Olympics is hosted on Indian soil. We are preparing for it, moving forward."
Not only the 2036 Olympics, India also has plans to bid for the hosting rights of the Youth Olympics, which will be held in 2030.
Moreover, today (August 15) at the Red Fort, where the annual celebrations are held every year, the entire Indian contingent, which represented the nation in the Paris Olympcis 2024, was present. The Prime Minister spoke about them and also extended his wishes to the Paralympians who will be partaking in the Paris Paralympics, scheduled to begin on August 28, 2024.
He said:
"Today, we also have with us the youth who made the Indian flag fly high in the Olympics. On behalf of 140 crore countrymen, I congratulate all our athletes and players...In the next few days, a huge contingent of India will leave for Paris to participate in the Paralympics. I extend best wishes to all our Paralympians."
India's achievements at Paris Olympics 2024
India won only six medals this time in the Summer Games, one short of the Tokyo edition. Their overall ranking at the end of the quadrennial event was also affected as they failed to secure any gold medal. The shooting contingent was the most successful as Manu Bhaker, Sarabjot Singh and Swapnil Kusale brought home three medals - all bronze.
The Indian hockey team too won a bronze, a feat they repeated from the previous Olympic Games. Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, a gold-medal hopeful and a former gold medalist at the Summer Games, ended his campaign in the second position, ultimately winning a silver.
Wrestler Aman Sehrawat also became the youngest Indian to win a medal when he collected a bronze.