It was a traditional welcome — complete with aarti and tilak — for International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach who was hosted by Chairman of Reliance Industries Limited, Mukesh Ambani, and his wife Nita Ambani, the first Indian woman to be elected as an IOC member.
Ahead of the 141st IOC session to be held between October 15 and 17 in Mumbai, Bach called upon the Ambanis at their residence where he was warmly received.
The IOC session is the supreme decision-making body of the Olympic movement. It discusses and decides on the key activities of the global Olympics movement, including adoption or amendment of the Olympic Charter, election of IOC members and office-bearers and election of the host city of Olympics. For example, if cricket has indeed made the cut for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028, the formal announcement will be made at the Mumbai session.
WHO WILL BE PART OF THE SESSION?
The IOC session currently has 99 voting and 43 honorary members. More than 600 members of the sporting world’s elite are expected to be in Mumbai, as well as global media from about 100 nations, representing over 50 sports.
WHERE WILL THE SESSION BE HELD?
The session will be hosted at the state-of-the-art Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai. Situated in the heart of the city at Bandra Kurla Complex, the JWC is the largest convention centre in India and started operations in early 2022. The grand theatre at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) will host the Opening ceremony while the exhibition hall (pavilion) will be the venue for the session meeting.
An Indian delegation led by Nita Ambani, the first Indian woman to be elected as an IOC member, had made a compelling pitch at the 139th IOC session in Beijing in February 2022, following which Mumbai received overwhelming endorsement for its bid with 99% of the votes.
The Mumbai session will be a landmark moment for Indian sport and will firmly establish India on the global sporting map, opening up multiple opportunities in organising sporting events, world-class training infrastructure, nurturing talent and enriching the lives of millions of Indian sportspeople. It will also be a significant stepping-stone towards India’s aspirations of hosting the Youth Olympics and the Olympic Games in the future, an ambition Nita Ambani dwelled on once Mumbai’s winning bid was confirmed.
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