Why Ahmedabad?

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

- Rudraneil Sengupta

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.

In recent years, in fact, Bhubaneswar has emerged as the premier sporting city of the country. Its flagship Kalinga Stadium complex is India's only truly world-class multi-sport venue. Odisha has a rich history of producing sprinters and hockey players too.