Narendra Modi’s Olympics dream for India facing several hurdles, experts say
Searing summer temperatures, lack of infrastructure and poor Games record of country’s athletes all obstacles to overcome
India wants the 2036 Olympics in what is seen as an attempt by Narendra Modi to cement his legacy, but the country faces numerous challenges to host the biggest show on earth.
The prime minister said staging the Games in a nation where cricket is the only sport that really matters was the “dream and aspiration” of 1.4 billion people.
Experts say it is more about Modi’s personal ambitions and leaving his mark on the world stage, while also sending a message about India’s political and economic rise.
Modi, who is also pushing for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, will be 86 in 2036.
“Hosting the Olympics will, in a way, burnish India’s credentials as a global power,” said academic Ronojoy Sen, author of Nation at Play, a history of sport in India. “The current government wants to showcase India’s rise and its place on the global high table, and hosting the Olympic Games is one way to do it.”
Already the most populous nation, India is on track to become the world’s third-biggest economy long before the planned Olympics.
