Following a meeting Monday between International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach and India Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it was disclosed that India won’t be bidding for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
Bach reportedly said, “India will not bid for 2024 Olympic Games as Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not propose it”.
There had been media speculation in recent days that a bid was imminent after it was suggested that India’s Sports Secretary Ajit Mohan Sharan had met with IOC officials ahead of Monday’s meeting.
“We were a bit surprised about this speculation because we thought it may be too quick for India to host a successful Olympic Games,” Bach added.
“So, we checked with the Prime Minister and he said he wants to be well prepared and have expertise before doing that.
“He also considered that launching a successful bid for 2024 (before deadline of September 15) may be difficult.”
The two met during Bach’s first visit to India to discuss ways to take Indian sports forward following an adverse report from the Sports Ministry on hosting the event. The Tribune News Service reports it has been learned that the Ministry has submitted a detailed report to the PMO, mentioning the corruption scandals of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.
The Tribune News Service said that according to sources, the negative publicity after the 2010 Games figured prominently in the report, apart from the heavy financial losses incurred due to the Commonwealth Games.
Boston, Hamburg and Rome have already declared they are bidding for the 2024 Games; a decision by the IOC will be announced in 2017.
