IOC member Nita Ambani predicts double-digit medal haul for India at Paris Olympics

After the highs of Tokyo Olympics where India secured their best ever medal haul, the country is poised to get medals in double digits in Paris, sports administrator and Indian Olympic Committee (IOC) member Nita Ambani has said.

Speaking on the sidelines of the inauguration of India House at La Villette, she also said the day India hosts the Olympics is “not far.”

In October last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced India's bold intent to bid for the 2036 Olympics, pledging to spare no effort to fulfil the dream of 1.4 billion people in the country.

"We are going to do very well. Forty seven per cent of our athletes are girls. All for women power and all for our young boys and girls, we are rooting and cheering for them. I hope we can see double digits in medals for the first time. Go India go, make India proud," Nita said.

A day after the Paris Olympics began with a glimmering opening ceremony that had the attention of the world, the India House, the first-ever country house at the Olympics, had a star-studded opening ceremony attended by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah and IOC officials and administrators.

"India has arrived. It is time that the flame that was first lit in Athens must light the sky in our ancient land ― Bharat. The day is not far when India will host the Olympic Games. Let this be our collective resolve at the opening of the India House," she added.

"For the first time, India has its own house at the Paris 2024 Olympics. It's a place where we are going to honor our athletes, celebrate their achievements, and wish them well. We will celebrate our heritage and our culture, with many of our artisans present and cultural programs scheduled. This is going to be a home away from home for our athletes.", she said.

The first of its kind at an Olympic Games for India, the temporary house is meant to promote Indian culture as the country aspires to host the 2036 Games. The endeavor was born from the partnership between the Indian Olympic Association and the Reliance Foundation, which Ambani founded and chairs.

Asked how this idea come to her mind, she said: "When I went to Brazil, Korea Winter Olympics, and then Tokyo, we didn't have an India House.

"I just felt that India, with its 1.4 billion people, needed a house of its own. So that's when I started thinking about having an Indian House at the Olympics for our athletes and everyone to see what the spirit of India really is.

"Envisioned as a symbol of India's Olympic aspiration, we hope that it becomes a home away from home for our athletes where we honor them and salute their achievements," she added.

(Agencies)