Mumbai to stage IOC Session in 2023

India will host an International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session for the first time in four decades with Mumbai on Saturday voted to host the apex Olympic body’s key meeting in May or June next year.

In its 139th Session chaired by IOC president Thomas Bach in Beijing on the sidelines of the Winter Olympics, IOC members gave a near-unanimous nod to India’s bid, with 75 of the valid 76 votes in favour of assembling in Mumbai for the next edition, while six abstained. India will play hosts to the IOC Session for the first time after 1983, when it was held in New Delhi. The 2023 edition will be held at the Jio World Convention Centre located in Mumbai’s commercial Bandra Kurla Complex area.

The voting was preceded by a virtual bid presentation made by the Indian delegation comprising IOC member Nita Ambani, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Narinder Batra, union sports minister Anurag Thakur and 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medallist shooter Abhinav Bindra. At various points during the pre-recorded speeches, the delegation touched upon India’s ambition to host the Olympics, adding that bringing the Olympic movement back to the country after such a long gap would be a significant step towards it.

“This is supported by our long-term goal to host the Olympic Games in India. It is a bold objective, but one that we can surely deliver,” the IOA chief said in the presentation.

Nita Ambani—who became the first Indian woman to be elected as an individual member of the IOC before the 2016 Rio Games—proposed to “launch a series of elite sports development programmes for the youth across communities” to coincide with the IOC Session.

“It is indeed a historic moment for all of us. The Olympic movement is coming back to India after 40 years,” Nita Ambani, joining the meet virtually with Batra and Bindra after the conclusion of the voting procedure, said. “I’m sure this session will be the beginning of a new chapter of sporting excellence for India.”

Thakur tweeted: “Excited and proud to have been a part of the Indian delegation for this landmark occasion.”

The candidature process of Mumbai as a potential city for the session began in 2019. IOC’s evaluation commission team made several visits to the city, first in August and October 2019 to assess the feasibility of hosting the session before confirming its eligibility in March 2020. “We have chosen India because it is the second most populous nation in the world, with a very young population and a huge potential for Olympic sport,” Bach had said in March 2020.

The process was put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but last year India reiterated its commitment to hosting the session.

A total of 101 voting members and 45 honorary members gather for the IOC Session, which is held at least once a year. A number of important decisions are taken during the meeting, including determining the host cities for future events, addition and exclusion of sports in the programmes as well as possible alterations to the Olympic Charter.

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