Will bid to host 2048 Olympic Games: Delhi CM Kejriwal

The process of selection of candidate cities for the Olympic Games is a long-drawn one and is divided into two phases, according to the guidelines mentioned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal after the presentation of the Delhi Budget 2021 said that the city will bid to host the 2048 Olympic Games. He said the Delhi government will do everything to ensure that the Capital is ready for such an event.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and deputy CM Manish Sisodia addresses a press conference, at Delhi Legislative Assembly, in New Delhi (ANI Photo)

“In the budget, we have mentioned a vision that the 2048 Olympic Games should be held in Delhi. We shall bid for the games and we will do whatever it takes to build the infrastructure and create other necessities required for this. We will talk to the Central government to bid for Delhi as an Olympic venue for the 2048 games,” Kejriwal told media persons after the presentation of the budget.

The process of selection of candidate cities for the Olympic Games is a long-drawn one and is divided into two phases, according to the guidelines mentioned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The first part of the process is known as the invitation phase - where generally cities and National Olympic Committees (NOCs) take part in a dialogue with IOC and hold workshops and the second phase is the candidature process - where cities along with the NOCs make a formal commitment to bid for the games. The candidature process spans two years during which the IOC will thoroughly review the cities’ development plans, legal infrastructure and the IOC will also review on-site analysis of every candidate city.

During the budget presentation, the Delhi chief minister also said that the government will aim to increase the per capita income of the city. Kejriwal said the government aims to lift the per capita income of the city so that it is on a par with Singapore. According to World Bank data, Singapore’s per capita income (as of 2019) is $65,233.3. A recent report shows that Delhi’s per capita income has shrunk ₹3,76,211 in 2019-20 to ₹3,54,004 in 2020-21. During the budget announcement, the Delhi government also said that it will make the first model virtualschool.