India will host the 2023 annual meeting of the International Olympic Committee in Mumbai.
This will be the second IOC session in India ever and the first in four decades. The country had last hosted the session in 1983 at New Delhi.
The rights to host were won by the Indian delegation comprising of the country’s first individual Olympic gold medalist, Abhinav Bindra, IOC Member Nita Ambani, Indian Olympic Association President, Narinder Batra, and Youth Affairs and Sports Minister, Anurag Singh Thakur.
The delegation made the presentation during the 139th IOC session, held alongside the ongoing Winter Olympics in Beijing.
The IOC session will be held in May-June 2023 at Jio World Center, owned by Ambani family promoted Reliance Group.
“Sport has always been a beacon of hope and inspiration for millions around the world,” said Nita Ambani, the first women to be elected an IOC member.
“We are one of the youngest countries in the world today and I’m excited for the youth of India to embrace and experience first-hand the magic of the Olympics. It is our dream to strengthen this partnership further and host the Olympic Games in India in the years to come!”
Mumbai received 75 of 76 votes, according to an IOC statement. The Commission said it had visited Mumbai in October 2019 to study the feasibility of hosting the IOC Session in the city.
The IOC has a total of 101 members with voting rights. Additionally, there are 45 honorary members and one honour member who does not have the right to vote. In addition to the members, senior representatives from over 50 international sports federations will attend the IOC session.