Why Ahmedabad?: Rudraneil Sengupta writes on India’s Olympic bid

There are Indian cities better qualified, better prepared, more eager – and more in need – of a megawatt event like the Olympics.

India’s proposed bid for the 2036 Olympics rests on an unlikely city, Ahmedabad, becoming a major sporting hub.

As at most Olympics, a few other cities are being earmarked as single-sport venues, including Bhubaneswar for hockey and Pune for canoeing / kayaking, but the singular focus will be on Ahmedabad.

This is not a city one thinks of when one thinks of Indian sporting legacies, neither in terms of the sportspeople it produces nor in terms of infrastructure.

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