PM Modi inaugurates IOC Session in Mumbai

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in news?
• What is International Olympic Committee (IOC)?
• IOC session
• News Summary: PM Modi inaugurates IOC Session in Mumbai
• Process of selection of host country
• Key highlights of the speech

Why in news?

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 141^stSession of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Mumbai.
  • The 141st session of the IOC will be held in Mumbai from October 15 to 17.
• During the opening ceremony, he announced that India aspires to host the 2036 Summer Olympics.

International Olympic Committee (IOC)

• About
  • The International Olympic Committee is the guardian of the Olympic Games and the leader of the Olympic Movement.
  • The vision of IOC is to Build a Better World through Sport.
• As an organisation
  • In 1892, Pierre de Coubertin of France declared his intention to spearhead a movement to revive the ancient Greek Olympics.
  • His efforts led to the establishment of IOC in June 1894 as a not-for-profit independent international organisation.
  • It is based in Lausanne, Switzerland, the Olympic Capital.
• Roles & Responsibilities
  • IOC is the authority responsible for organising the modern (Summer, Winter, and Youth) Olympic Games.
  • It is the governing body of the National Olympic Committees (NOCs).

IOC session

• An IOC session is the annual meeting of the members of the IOC. It comprises 101 voting members and 45 honorary members.
• It decides on the key activities of the global Olympics movement.
• The powers of the Session are:
  • To adopt or amend the Olympic Charter.
  • To elect the members of the IOC, the Honorary President and the honorary members.
  • To elect the President, the vice-presidents and all other members of the IOC Executive Board.
  • To elect the host city of the Olympic Games.
• An Olympic Session is the general meeting of the members of the IOC and its supreme organ.
• All IOC Session decisions are final.

News Summary: PM Modi inaugurates IOC Session in Mumbai

• India is conducting the IOC session for the first time in 40 years. The country hosted its previous IOC session in New Delhi in 1983.

Process of selection of host country

• Informal Dialogue
  • As per the selection policy, the IOC first gets into an informal dialogue with interested host countries.
• Targeted dialogue
  • If the world body is satisfied with the planning and capability of the candidate, then it enters a targeted dialogue when the IOC’s Executive Board invites the “preferred host” to refine and present their proposal.
• No fixed timeframe for electing the hosts.
• What IOC looks at: The IOC looks at multiple factors:
  • candidate city’s funding strategy, the ability to deliver the Games, transport infrastructure, accommodation capacity,
  • alignment of venues with local development plans, socio-economic, geo-political factors, and public support.

Key highlights of the speech

• Formal declaration of India’s interest in hosting the Summer Olympics
  • India is eager to host the Olympics in the country and it will leave no stone unturned in the preparation for the successful organisation of the Olympics in 2036.
    • 2036 is the earliest available slot to host the Summer Olympic Games.
    • The next edition will be held in Paris in 2024 followed by Los Angeles in 2028 and Brisbane in 2032.
• Eager to host the Youth Olympic Games in 2029
  • India is eager to host the next Youth Olympic Games as a precursor to the mega event.
    • For the record, after Dakar (Senegal) hosts the Youth Games in 2026, the next edition will be held in 2030 as per IOC’s four-year programme.
• Did not reveal the name of the candidate city
  • In his speech, PM did not reveal the name of the candidate city but it is believed that Ahmedabad is a front-runner.
    • The Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave is projected as one of the main venue clusters.
  • Gujarat has reportedly engaged an Australian consultancy firm to prepare its bid.
• Highlighted the importance of Sports
  • Sports is not the medium of winning medals but it is a medium to win people’s hearts.
  • Sports belong to everyone; it is for everyone. Sports not only create champions, it also promotes peace, progress, and wellness.

Q1) What are Youth Olympic Games?

The Youth Olympic Games (YOG) are a multi-sport event for athletes aged 15 to 18. The International Olympic Committee organizes the YOG, which takes place every four years. The YOG are the successor to the World Youth Games. 

Q2) What are Olympic Games?

The Olympic Games are international sporting events that take place every four years. They feature summer and winter sports competitions. Thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competitions.

Source: Eager to host 2036 Olympics…dream of 140 cr Indians: PM Modi | Olympics | Moneycontrol | The Hindu