The 141st session of the IOC will be held in Mumbai, India on 15, 16 and 17 October this year at the state-of-the-art Jio World Centre in Mumbai. The session will be preceded by an IOC Executive Board Meeting on 12 and 13 October. The opening ceremony of the IOC session will be held on 14 October.
What is the IOC session?
The IOC session is a meeting of all the members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board and is also attended by a selection of members from the IOC members. The upcoming session will be the 141st IOC session. Usually, important decisions regarding host cities for upcoming events, inclusion or exclusion of sports and federations and changes in the Olympic Charter are made at the IOC Sessions. An IOC session is usually held during every Summer and Winter Olympics barring a few exceptions.
How did India get the hosting rights?
The decision to hold the 141st IOC Session in India was taken by the IOC Members during the 139th IOC Session held in Beijing in February 2022. Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra, IOC member Nita Ambani, IOA president Narinder Batra and sports minister Anurag Thakur presented India’s proposal for the hosting rights. India won the bid after 75 members voted in favour of Mumbai while one voted against it.
The Olympic Movement is back in India after a 40-year wait. I am truly grateful to the International Olympic Committee for entrusting India with the honour of hosting the IOC Session in Mumbai in 2023”, said IOC member Nita Ambani.
'These' dignitaries will be attending the session
Apart from all the members of the IOC Executive Board, the session will be attended by IOC members including two-time Olympic 1500m champion and World Athletics President Sebastian Coe, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, seven-time Olympic swimming medallist and Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission Dakar Youth Olympics 2026 Kirsty Coventry, Prince Souverain Albert II of Monaco, two-time Olympic pole vault gold medallist Yelena Isenbaeva, two-time Olympic 10000m silver medallist and National Olympic Committee of Kenya President Paul Tergat, Olympic pole vault gold medallist Sergey Bubka, Olympic shooting champion Abhinav Bindra, to name a few.
We have chosen India because it is the second-most populous nation in the world, with a very young population and a huge potential for Olympic sport", said IOC president Thomas Bach.
Nita Ambani, the first Indian woman to become an IOC member, has played a leading role in bringing the IOC session to India.
Speaking ahead of the session, which is scheduled to be held from October 15th to 17th in Mumbai, Nita Ambani said, “We are all so excited to have the 141st session in Mumbai. We are bringing the Olympic Movement back to India after 40 years. I think our dream is to make India a multi-sport nation. This will really give a boost to youngsters all over the country to take up different sports and excel. I think we have done so well at the Asian Games, 107 medals in all, and it just shows that if our youngsters are given the right support, infrastructure, and if we nurture them well, they will make our country proud.”
Possible Key Outcomes of the session
The session is likely to see the announcement of the final sports program for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. The following sports are in contention to be added:• Cricket
• Break-dancing
• Baseball/Softball
• Flag Football
• Lacrosse
• Karate
• Kickboxing
• Squash
• Motorsport
India’s chance to show its capability to host big events
The IOC session is also a chance for the IOC’s members to witness the strides that India has made in the last few years and also see the readiness of the country to host a major event like the Olympics or Youth Olympics.
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