Rewind 2023: IOC Session in India marks nation's growth in sports diplomacy and sporting ecosystem

The year 2023 brought multiple sporting laurels to India. The country won over 100 medals at Asian Games and Para Asian Games for the first time; Neeraj Chopra won India’s first World Athletics gold, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty became first Indian duo to attain the world No. 1 doubles badminton rankings and Indian men’s cricket team is the No 1 side in all formats, but one of the most landmarks development in Indian sport in 2023 took place in the heart of Mumbai, away from stadiums and training centres.

If Neeraj Chopra winning India’s first Olympics athletics gold in 2021 was a marker of the country making an indelible mark in world sport, the 141st International Olympic Committee (IOC) session that took place in Mumbai from 15 to 17 October was proof of India’s growing influence off the field as well in the sporting arena.

The relatively successful Tokyo Olympics, and historic medals at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and 2023 Asian Games were signs of Indian athletes consistently breaking the barriers on the field and the IOC Session was an indicator of India outperforming in the field of sports diplomacy as well.

The IOC Session is the supreme authority for the Olympic Movement. The meeting includes all members of the IOC Executive Board where the most important decisions regarding the Olympic Movement such as changes to the Olympic charter, the selection of hosts for future Games, and inclusion and exclusion of sports are taken.

Yes, India had hosted the IOC Session once before in 1983 in New Delhi, but the 2023 event also coincided with two crucial decisions.

Firstly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who inaugurated the Session, declared that India are willing to host the 2036 Summer Olympics.

“India is very excited to organise an Olympics. India will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to organise the 2036 Olympics. It’s a dream of 140 crore Indians. With the support of IOC, we would want to fulfil this dream.

“Sports is not just for winning medals but it is also the best way to win hearts. It not only gives rise to champions but also promotes peace,” Modi said during the IOC Session’s opening ceremony.

The decision on the host for the 2036 Games will not be taken before 2026 but India are going to be a strong contender after showing their capability during the IOC Session and given how the athletes have been performing over the years. Even if India misses the 2036 bus, the Games being hosted in India is not going to be far.

Secondly, cricket was officially included in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. It’s a massive decision from the perspective that the Olympics movement will get a fillip in new geographies that are heavily invested in cricket and the sport also stands to gain popularity in new countries.

The sport will be making a return to the Olympics after a gap of 128 years and also for an edition that takes place in North America and not South Asia. This is a major achievement from India’s angle.

It shows the kind of influence the country, the possibilities it offers, and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) exerts. While the International Cricket Council (ICC) had been making necessary attempts over the years, the push from India and the IOA played a decisive role in getting cricket included in the Olympics.

India still have a long way to go before being called any sort of a sporting superpower but the successful hosting of the IOC Session in the country showed that we are no longer the nation that dreams, we are now getting things done.