Sudden buzz around Indian sport is mostly box-ticking

{ LEFT FIELD } Sharda Ugra

- Sharda Ugra

Much activity whirled around Indian sport last week — the National Sports Governance Bill 2025 (NSGB) was tabled in parliament, a new National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill 2025 made its appearance too and the 19-month ruckus in the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) between president PT Usha and the executive council—over the appointment of CEO Raghuram Iyer — suddenly dissolved, Usha brushing everything off as “small internal disputes”.

At an IOA briefing, there were glimpses of what drove the developments and the bonhomie. IOA joint secretary Kalyan Chaubey, also president of the beleaguered All India Football Federation (AIFF), said IOA’s vision was “to ensure India wins the bid” (to host the 2036 Olympics). He said, IOA would do “whatever required - that comes with athlete development... good governance... better infrastructure facilities developed... educate athletes in terms of anti-doping... NADA needs to be more equipped to hold more sessions... ensure more sports conclaves... better coordination with all the stakeholders... Whatever is essential to host a big event I think IOA should do and will do.” Promising, forward thinking, a new dawn for Indian sport, etc.

Excuse please, hold the beer, sorry, protein shake, because other kinds of news is disturbing this positivity. Qatar formally launched its Olympics 2036 bid with a 16-page press kit saying 95 percent of its Olympic venues were “already in place and tested at the highest level”. Its Instagram reel then showed visuals from the 2022 FIFA World Cup and world championships in athletics (2019), swimming (2024), artistic gymnastics (2025) and the 2025 table tennis world championships finals - all held in Doha, Qatar's 2036 candidate city.