Will bid for 2036 Olympics, sports infrastructure gaps being plugged: Mandaviya

NEW DELHI: India has decided to bid to host the 2036 Olympics, and efforts are being made to address gaps in sporting infrastructure in the country and develop world-class facilities to host international events of such scale, Union sports and youth affairs minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Thursday.

Speaking at an event, Mandaviya said an analysis was done to identify gaps in sports infrastructure in the country, and a working plan was prepared to create facilities on par with the international level. "We will also bring the infrastructure owned by different central, state, and private entities under one umbrella and analyse where we need to strengthen it," the minister said, adding the Delhi-based Jawaharlal Nehru stadium will soon be turned into a sports city of a global standard.

The minister added that the govt will soon announce a new scheme for sports equipment and sports goods manufacturing. Mandaviya said the recent visit of international soccer star Lionel Messi to various Indian cities gave a push to sports culture in the country. "In the coming years, you will see the medals tally improving and India getting more laurels at the international level," he said. Regarding mismanagement at certain venues that hosted Messi, he said the organisation of such events was slowly improving. "We recently organised the World Para-athletic Championship. Arranging facilities at such an event is not easy, but we managed to organise it pretty well," he said.

The minister, who also holds the charge of the labour and employment ministry, outlined the govt's decision to repeal 26 labour laws and replace them with four consolidated labour codes. He said the reforms were aimed at strengthening India's workforce and supporting long-term economic growth.
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