2036 Olympics EXCLUSIVE: We must aim for ‘top 10’ as potential hosts, says P.T. Usha

The National Sports Governance Bill and the National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill may have their doubters, but P.T. Usha says they are a package she had been rooting for all along. The iconic athlete and president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) — the umbrella body for Olympic sports in the country — feels it can pave the way for a structured build-up towards a strong bid for India to host the 2036 Olympics.

“This legislation comes at a time when India is dreaming big, dreaming for its rightful share in global sporting fraternity by hosting the 2036 Olympics,” Usha, a Rajya Sabha MP from BJP, said during a discussion over the twin bills in the Upper House on 12 August, Tuesday. The former sprint queen of Asia, whose heartbreaking fourth place finish in the 400m hurdles of the 1984 Los Angeles Games is a part of India’s sporting folklore, now wants for her lasting legacy to be the face of the 2036 bid.

It was in early July that Usha led a high-powered delegation, comprised of the IOA top brass and senior officials of the union sports ministry, to formally announce India’s intent at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) headquarters in Lausanne. Ahmedabad was the city proposed.

The bid for the 2036 Games will be an intense one, unlike the previous 2–3 Games, what with Qatar recently announcing its plans to form a bidding committee too. Usha, therefore, understands that we need to raise our game to another level to be a serious contender.

Speaking to National Herald in an exclusive interview prior to the tabling of the bills, Usha said it is imperative to improve our performance by leaps and bounds as hosts. “We aim to be in the top 10 in the next 10 years. The way things work, a single gold can put India within the top 30 in the tally, but we are not going to limit ourselves to a single gold — [we want] many more,’’ she said on an upbeat note.

Given India’s track record in the Olympics, where the only two individual gold medallists — Abhinav Bindra and Neeraj Chopra — are generational talents, matching the performance of previous hosts seems a bridge too far. Japan and France had both finished in fifth position in the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 games, respectively, while India ended with a modest haul of six last year — a medal short of our all-time best haul of seven in Tokyo.

“This is a critical area where many factors are not entirely within our control. That said, we recognise the urgent need to improve. With a bit of luck, our athletes might have reached double digits in Paris. We have already set in a plan in motion with SAI and MYAS (the ministry of sports and youth affairs), wherein we aim to convert our fourth position finishes into medals and winning gold at the Olympics.”

Meanwhile, in a significant move, new IOC president Kirsty Coventry announced after the last Congress in June that the committee would put a pause on venue selection for the 2036 showpiece — apart from having more buy-in from members, like in the past. Asked whether the delay might actually help India set its house in order, Usha said: “The decision ultimately rests with the IOC and we have no control over it. However, even if the selection process to host the Games is announced around 2028–29, it would still provide us with a window of 7–8 years.

“It is important to emphasise that India is not developing modern, large-scale sports infrastructure solely with the goal of hosting the Olympic or Commonwealth Games. Rather, this is a long-term investment by our government to make world-class sporting facilities accessible to every Indian, empowering athletes across the country and fostering a vibrant sports culture,” she added.

The IOC, during its meeting with the Usha-led Indian delegation, had also called out the high incidence of doping as an area for us to work on, with many athletes testing positive for drug abuse. Admitting to the numbers, Usha said, however: “Let’s acknowledge that one of the primary reasons for the recent spike in positive cases is the significant increase in testing across the country. While this is certainly an area of concern, we are committed to working closely with the National Sports Federations (NSFs) and NADA to strengthen our efforts through tighter monitoring, increased random testing and enhanced education for athletes.”