Nita Ambani Playing Exemplary Role in India’s Olympic Journey: IOC President Thomas Bach to News18

The Reliance Foundation and its chairperson Nita Ambani, who is also an IOC member, are playing an exemplary role in not just supporting elite athletes, but more importantly in imbibing the culture of sports among under-privileged children as well, IOC President Thomas Bach told News18 in an exclusive interview.

Lauding India’s Olympic spirit and the great strides the country has made in global sports, including the record medal haul at the recent Asian Games, Bach said India is welcome to bid to host the 2036 Olympic Games. He added that the IOC Session has returned to India after a gap of 40 years “at the right time”.

Edited excerpts:

Mr Thomas Bach, thank you so much for speaking to CNN-News18. My first question to you is that the IOC has come to Bharat after 40 years for this very special session. What are your thoughts?

It’s great to be back in India after 40 years and to see the Olympic spirit growing so much here with the success of the Indian athletes at the Asian Games. With so many initiatives by IOC member Nita Ambani-chaired Reliance Foundation, there is a lot of youth engagement around the Olympic movement. This is really a great feeling. I think we are back at the right time.

Mr Bach, how has Mrs Nita Ambani essayed her role over the last six years?

She’s playing an exemplary role with all the support for elite athletes, but also the grassroots programme centre, the Olympic values education programmes. With the academies of the Reliance Foundation, many young kids here in India are getting access to sport and sometimes for the very first time in their lives. Many are coming from underprivileged families, and they do not only get access to sport they also get access to education so that they can make their choices in life later on.

And we also see these great engagements when it comes to supporting individual Olympic athletes in Olympic sports. So the results Team India achieved at the Asian Games did not come out of the blue, it’s thanks to these many private initiatives. The Reliance Foundation chaired by Nita Ambani is at the top.

Will cricket as a discipline make it back into the Olympics in Los Angeles 2028? Do you see any hurdles? Can the ICC do anything?

This is now in the hands of the IOC members during this IOC session here in Mumbai. They will vote on this proposal to include cricket in the Olympic programme with the T20 format. The IOC Executive Board has just approved this proposal and it will be brought forward to the IOC session. And then we see the result of the vote. I don’t think that the ICC can do much but wait for the result of the vote.

Mr Bach, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also pledged for Bharat to host the Olympics. Do you see 2036 Olympics in Bharat as a possibility?

We are hearing with appreciation about a number of initiatives here in India to study a potential candidature for the Olympic Games in 2036. Once this is a real project, of course, India is welcome to join the procedure for the allocation of the Olympic Games. And this means entering into a dialogue with the IOC on how to build the best possible project for such an Olympic Games.

Finally Mr Bach, in an era of conflict, how can the Olympic Movement help?

The mission of the Olympic Movement is a unifying mission. The Olympic Games bring the entire world together in a peaceful competition. And this is a very strong symbol of dialogue and peace. Because in the Olympic Games, we are all equal. There is no Global South or Global North. There are no big or small countries, there are no developed or developing countries. There are just athletes who respect the same rules worldwide and compete within these rules in a peaceful way.

And at the same time, they’re living together in the Olympic Village, where they share their meals, exchange opinions, where they understand each other better. And this is a strong contribution to dialogue. For peace, you always need dialogue.