Ahmedabad’s Olympic Dream: India Bids for 2036 Games

Gandhinagar, Gujarat — The city of Ahmedabad, the economic and cultural center of Gujarat, is rapidly moving towards becoming the host city of the 2036 Olympic Games.

India has formally sent a letter of intent to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on October 1, 2024, to bid for hosting the Olympics 2036. The state of Gujarat and the city of Ahmedabad are considered strong contenders for hosting this ‘Sports Mahakumbh’.

With the mantra of ‘RAMSHE GUJARAT, JEETSHE GUJARAT’, the Gujarat government has made strong policies and built modern sports complexes for the development of sports.

Along with this, the budding players of the state are achieving remarkable achievements at the national and international level, which strengthens the prospects of bringing glory to India in the 2036 Olympics.

Sports Authority of Gujarat aims to produce future medalists through sports complexes across the state

The Sports Authority of Gujarat’s taluka and district level sports complexes are gearing up to play the role of a medal machine for the state.

At present, the Sports Authority of Gujarat has 24 district-level and 6 taluka-level sports complexes in the state. At the same time, a total of 20 sports hostels in the state are providing residential and training facilities to as many as 4,000 sportspersons.

The Sports Authority of Gujarat is working with an aim to boost the sports ecosystem by strengthening the sports infrastructure in the state through a total of 31 new sports complexes, including 13 at the district level and 18 at the taluka level, in the coming time.

The new 31 Sports Complexes are expected to increase the number of players who have brought medals to the state in various sports.

New sports complexes to be set up in these districts

The new sports complexes will come up in 13 districts including Amreli, Anand, Bharuch, Botad, Chhotaudepur, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Gir Somnath, Jamnagar, Mahisagar, Morbi, Navsari, Surendranagar and Valsad.

In which sports do players get training and guidance at the sports complexes?

The Sports Complex and High Performance Centre of the Sports Authority of Gujarat provides training and guidance in sports including volleyball, athletics, swimming, archery, wrestling, kabaddi, judo, basketball, table tennis, badminton, football, hockey, kho-kho and others by experienced coaching staff.

Preparing for the Olympics 2036

The Gujarat Sports Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (GSID) is the nodal agency for the development of sports infrastructure in the state. – GSID has been set up, which will build 6 sports complexes with a budget of Rs 6000 crore.

In addition, new sports facilities will be built in Pethapur, Karai Police Academy, GIFT City, and Manipur-Godhavi. Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar will be able to host more than 80% of the Olympic games.

In the last few years, the emerging players in the field of sports are getting a strong platform through well-organized sports infrastructure in the state. The flagship scheme of the state government like ‘Shaktidoot’ is also providing great support to the players of various sports through financial assistance and grants.

Due to this, the players of the state are bringing glory to Gujarat in national and international competitions including National Games, Asian Games and Olympics.

The beneficiaries of the state government’s sports-related schemes or various sportspersons trained at the Sports Authority of Gujarat’s Sports Complex brought laurels to the state by excelling in the Tokyo Olympics 2020 and Paris Olympics 2025.

*Facilities available at Sports Authority of Gujarat Sports Complex

Training and support*

– Training & Coaching Support                                                                                                                 

High performance center                                                                                                                                                        

– Synthetic athletic track

– Strength and Endurance Room

– The psychology room

– Steamy sauna room and consultation room

– High performance Gym

– Jacuzzi

– Multi-purpose hall

– Hostel facility

– International Standard grounds

– The changing room

– Climbing Wall

– Dormitory

– Shooting range

– Indoor and outdoor sports infrastructure

Facilities being provided to sportspersons through various schemes and programmes by Sports Authority of Gujarat

– Financial support

– Educational facilities

– Diet

– The tournament exposure

– Hostel facility

– Stipend

– Advanced sports infrastructure, sports kits and equipment

– Performance Review and Improvement

– Talent Identification and Nurturing

How will Ahmedabad become the centre of attraction of the Olympic sports ecosystem?

Narendra Modi Stadium

The world’s largest cricket stadium, the Narendra Modi Stadium, has a capacity of 1.10 lakh spectators and can be an ideal venue for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics. The Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave is being built around this stadium, which will be spread over 300 acres and will include 10 new stadiums. The enclave can be served as an Olympic Village for 3000 athletes.

Sabarmati Riverfront

With the Sabarmati Riverfront currently under construction in Phase-II, the riverfront can be a suitable place for sports like water sports. It is planned to build Olympic-standard infrastructure in an area of 2 km on the riverfront, in which a water barrage is being constructed.

A new Olympic-level sports complex at Naranpura

A new Olympic-level sports complex has been built in Naranpura area of Ahmedabad city, which is ready to host various Olympic-level sports. The sports complex will be opened soon.

Urban development and transport

Ahmedabad’s urban infrastructure is ideal for hosting the Olympics. The city operates BRTS (Bus Rapid Transit System) and metro rail services, which facilitate local transportation. In addition, the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train is also expected to be launched in the coming years, which will be convenient for international passengers during the Olympics.

Multimodal transport hub

A multimodal transport hub is being built in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, which includes Western Railway tracks and city bus services. Apart from this, mega sports infrastructure has been planned in an area of 1 lakh square meters on SG Highway, which will connect areas like Ambli, Ghuma, Jodhpur, Shella, and Vejalpur.

Satellite Town

There is a plan to develop 5 small cities around Ahmedabad (Kalol, Sanand, Dahegam, Bareja, Mehmedabad) as satellite towns, which will give a boost to the preparations for the Olympics.

Sports Schemes of the Government of Gujarat

The Gujarat government had introduced the ‘Sports Policy’ in 2016 to promote sports, which was renewed in 2023. Under this policy, training, scholarship, and infrastructure facilities are provided to the players from the grassroots level to the international level in the state.

‘Khel Mahakumbh’ – Khel Mahakumbh is an important state level sports event started in 2010, which gives an opportunity to lakhs of youth of the state to participate in more than 28 sports. Competitions are held from village to state level, with winners receiving cash prizes, scholarships, and training opportunities. Approx. 50 lakh players took part in the 2023-24 Khel Mahakumbh, which shows the enthusiasm of the state towards sports.

‘Shaktidoot’ scheme – Under this scheme, financial assistance and expert training is provided to the players.