New Delhi: The Indian Olympic Association on Thursday said it would bid for the 2026 Youth Olympics as well as the 2032 Summer Olympics, receiving appreciation from visiting International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach.
At a press conference addressed with Bach here, IOA president Narinder Batra said, “We are bidding for three events, 2026 Youth Olympics, 2030 Asian Games and 2032 Olympics. We don’t know whether they will come to India or not. Let us see how fierce the competition is.” Bach, who is on a two-day visit to the country, said India had the capability to host big Olympic events but advised the IOA to wait for the bidding process to start. “We have taken note with great appreciation of the intention of IOA to host future Youth Olympics and Summer Olympics. It would be fantastic for Indian athletes to have their Olympics at their home country. It will give a boost to sports in India and develop interest in many young people to take up sports,” Bach said.No violent e-Sports at Olympics
IOC chief Bach also insisted that violent computer games would never be part of the Olympics as he faces growing pressure to allow eSports into the Olympic movement.
ESports have already been admitted as a medal sport for the 2022 Asian Games and the Paris committee organising the 2024 Olympics has not ruled including eSports in its events.
“The IOC is a very rules-based organisation therefore in order to be recognised in a way by the Olympic movement it is not enough just to show physical activity,” said Bach.
“And the red line would be eGames which are killer games, where you have the promotion of violence or any kind of discrimination as a content. They can never be recognised as a part of the Olympic movement because they would be contrary to our values and principles,” said the 64-year-old administrator.
Bach highlighted how five new sports — baseball/ softball, karate, skateboarding, sports climbing and surfing — have been added for the 2020 Tokyo Games as the Olympics seeks regain youth popularity.
CWG boycott call too extreme: Batra
Meanwhile, Batra said calls for boycotting the 2022 Commonwealth Games over the absence of shooting from the event’s roster was a “bit too extreme”.
National Rifle Association of India president Raninder Singh had called for a boycott of the 2022 Games if shooting was not reinstated. “Raninder is free to make statements. There are a lot of things related to government. We will certainly pick up the issue of shooting not being there in the 2022 CWG but it does not start or end with not participating. A nation boycotting, I think he is going a bit too extreme,” Batra said.
