IOC President Thomas Bach acknowledged the growing interest in the Olympic movement in India, as well as India’s best-ever medal haul at the recently-concluded Asian Games in his opening address ahead of the IOC Executive Board meeting in Mumbai on Thursday.
“I think we could really see and realise that the Olympic spirit in India is waking up and growing. We have seen the very positive results of the Indian team at the Asian Games in Hangzhou. The record number of medals that they won is very encouraging,” Bach said.
Bach and IOC Member Nita M Ambani recently agreed on a collaboration between the IOC and the Reliance Foundation to build on the success of the Olympic Values Education Programme (OVEP) in India. He complimented the work being done by the Reliance Foundation to spread the Olympic movement in India.
Also Read: Mumbai: International Olympic Committee Session To Be Held In India After 40 Years
Speaking about his visit to the Reliance Foundation Young Champs academy in Mumbai, Bach said, “I had a visit together with our IOC colleague and friend Nita Ambani to their Reliance Foundation and the programmes they're offering there to the kids and youth with regard to sport and education. And I must say, I'm really deeply impressed what is being done there by Reliance and her team, because you see kids from all over India in this centre. And most of them are coming from underprivileged families and they are being offered education and schooling. But at the same time, they are given the opportunity to train and to prepare for becoming an athlete, a high-level athlete. This is something that exactly reflects our Olympic values and our approach, which we have in our strategies. But to see it on such a scale and being done, you know, by a private entity, which is the Reliance Foundation, guided by our colleague – that’s really very, very impressive and very encouraging also for the future of sport, of Olympic sport in India.”
Also Read: Mumbai: IOC And Reliance Foundation Sign Agreement To Advance Olympic Values Education Across India
Bach said India’s young population, in particular, was very interested in the Olympic movement, which is reflected in the large number of followers of the social media channels of the IOC coming from India. India is number two in the list of followers of the Olympic social media handles. This shows the great interest the young generation in India in particular has in the Olympic movement.
The International Olympic Committee session to be held after 40 years in India. The 141st session of the IOC will be held in Mumbai on 15-17 October 2023 at Jio World Centre. #IOCSession #mumbaicity #NitaAmbani pic.twitter.com/bRftTib8g0
— Mumbai Live (@MumbaiLiveNews) October 12, 2023
Bach concluded his address by looking forward to the upcoming week of meetings in India. “I feel well in this newly growing Olympic country of India. I think this is a very good environment and foundation for our deliberation of a number of issues that we will have here and in the session to come.”
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