IOC Session in Mumbai Will be a Turning Point in India's Sporting History: Olympian Shiva Keshavan to News18

Shiva Keshavan, six-time Olympian and the first Indian representative to compete in luge at the Winter Olympic Games, feels the upcoming IOC Session in Mumbai will be a game-changer for sports in the country.

In an exclusive interview to News18, Shiva Keshavan said that the 141st IOC Session being held in Mumbai from October 15 to 17 will be a “turning point in India’s sporting history”.

“I think this is a very important moment for Olympic sports in India. I think it symbolises, you know, a turning point in our sporting history, because for the first time in 40 years, the sporting leaders from all over the world are coming to India at a time when we’ve just had our best ever showing at the Asian Games,” Keshavan said.

Shiva Keshavan also spoke on the possibility of India bidding to host the Olympics in the near future.

“And also we are bidding for the Olympic Games; not to speak of the cherry on the cake, which is the inclusion of cricket. So many things are coming together over here. And you know, of course, thanks to Nita Ambani’s leadership and representation at the IOC, we were able to have a voice on that forum,” the athlete said.

“And I think this is just the first step. It is a step to have more Indians take up important positions in international organisations to start soft diplomacy and grow our prestige as a country in the world. This is the time when this journey starts so I’m really excited about it,” he added.

Asked if India is ready to host the Olympics by 2036, he said: “Well, I think it’s a process. We’re the only major economy in the world that hasn’t hosted the Olympic Games yet. So why shouldn’t we be there? Why we weren’t able to do it so far or where we want to be is a roadmap that we need to prepare with all the stakeholders of the sport put together,” Keshavan said.

“The IOC is here, and I think the interest from the IOC is that India is a country that represents one-sixth of the world’s population. We’re a young population. This is the future of sports, we are called the sleeping giant of sports. As an athlete, I feel good policies of the government need to be implemented and they need to reach people on the ground.”

“So I think we are very much capable of building sports infrastructure, and sports is also indicative of the development of a nation, of sustainable development goals. This is something that’s going to help us reach them,” he added.