How Sporting Landscape and Culture Has Changed Since India Last Hosted an IOC Session in 1983

The last time India hosted an International Olympic Committee (IOC) session was back in the year 1983, the 86th edition, in New Delhi. And after 40 years, the 141st IOC session will be held from October 15 to 17 in Mumbai.

In the intervening time, India has come to the foreground as one of the premier centres of sporting excellence as well as being world champions in multiple sports.

The year 1983 is also significant as the Indian men’s cricket team lifted the Cricket World Cup, beating the two-time defending champions West Indies in a memorable final. Kapil Dev, the man leading India, became a household name and a champion in every sense of the word.

The sport of cricket is also reportedly set to be included in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic programme, with the addition of men’s and women’s T20 matches, at the 2023 IOC Session in Mumbai.

India have won a total of 399 medals in the Asian Games and 22 medals at the Olympics since the last IOC Session held in the country, marking a significant swell in the medal haul.

In fact, the previous two editions of the Asian Games and Olympics in Hangzhou and Tokyo produced India’s best-ever performances.

At the 19th Asian Games, India won a historic 107 medals, breaking the threshold of the 100-medal mark in style. At the 32nd Olympic Games, India won their second-ever individual Gold as Neeraj Chopra emerged as the new star of track and field not only in India, but around the globe. India’s first individual gold medal winner was Abhinav Bindra, who revolutionised the sport of shooting in the country.

India’s participation, too, has been on a steady rise with the last editions of the Asian Games and Olympics being the highest-ever in its history.

Apart from sports, India have recently overtaken China as the most populous nation in the world and given that nearly 50% of it is below the age of 25, India stands on the precipice of a sporting revolution.

Being the fifth-largest economy, India presents one of the foremost markets for global sports. The IOC Session in Mumbai, which coincides with India’s 76th year of Independence, is an opportunity to highlight the role of sport in the country and celebrate its contribution to the Olympic Movement.

The 141st IOC Session is also slated to bolster India’s growing stature as a pre-eminent hub of global diplomacy, a month after New Delhi hosted the prestigious 18th G20 Summit back in September.