How India can benefit from the 141st IOC Annual Session in Mumbai

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is all set to host its 141st session in Mumbai from 15 October in what will be one of the most important moments in the country’s recent sporting history.

The IOC Session, which will take place from the 15th to the 17th of this month, is set to return to India after more than four decades, with New Delhi having hosted the event in 1983 the last time it took place on Indian soil.

IOC president Thomas Bach arrived in Mumbai on 10 October and met Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde. The former Olympian also met Reliance Foundation founder chairperson Nita Ambani, who also happens to be an IOC representative from India and played a key role in bringing this year’s session to Mumbai.

Read | Nita and Mukesh Ambani host Thomas Bach ahead of 141st IOC Session

In our build-up to the landmark event in the Maharashtra capital, we take a more detailed look at what the IOC session is all about and why it is such a big deal for Indian sport:

What is IOC Annual Session?

The International Olympic Committee is the supreme authority for the Olympic Movement and the catalyst for all Olympic family members: National Olympic Committees, International Federations, athletes, Organising Committees for the Olympic Games, TOP partners and broadcasters, plus United Nations agencies.

IOC Session: Everything you need to know about the meeting in Mumbai

The Annual Session is a meeting that involves all members of the IOC Executive Board where crucial decisions such as host cities for upcoming events — including future editions of the Summer Olympics — as well as inclusion and exclusion of sports and federation and changes to the Olympic charter are made.

Why is the IOC Session important for Indian sport?

Reliance Foundation founder chairperson Ambani had played a crucial role in bringing the 141st IOC session to Indian soil by presenting a compelling pitch during the 139th session in Beijing in February last year.

Read | How India won the hosting rights for 141st IOC Session

“The Olympic Movement is back to India after a 40-year wait! I am truly grateful to the International Olympic Committee for entrusting India with the honour of hosting the IOC Session in Mumbai in 2023. This will be a significant development for India’s Olympic aspiration and will herald the start of a new era for Indian sport,” Ambani had said after Mumbai garnered 99 per cent of the votes.

The IOC session takes place at a time when Indian sport is said to come “coming of age”. The Indian contingent produced its best-ever performance in the Summer Olympics in Tokyo last year by winning seven medals — including an individual gold to javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra. The IOC session also takes place shortly after the Indian contingent returned from the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China with 107 medals — it’s biggest haul at the continental event.

IOC Session in India: Nita Ambani’s drive to transform Indian sports

Bringing the Olympic movement to India, thus, is the logical step forward and the nation could not have picked a better time to present itself as a contender to host the Summer Olympics — which will be a first in the country’s history.

“We have so far noted that there’s a great interest and there are apparently serious considerations here within India (to bid for the Games). We have to wait now how this will turn into a project and will be brought forward to us. Only then we can form an opinion,” IOC chief Bach had said ahead of the 141st Session.

Voting to bring cricket back after more than a century

The upcoming session will also be crucial given a final decision will be taken on a number of new sports proposed by organisers of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, among which is cricket.

Cricket has not been part of the Summer Olympics since Paris 1900, where Britain defeated France to win the gold medal. However, with this year’s event taking place in India — a cricketing powerhouse which is currently hosting the World Cup — the sport is closer than ever to making a return to the biggest sporting event in the world.

And given the superstar status of the Indian cricket teams — both men and women — the country sure can expect an additional medal or two at the 34th Summer Olympics.