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International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach will meet the newly-elected members of Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Executive Board during his brief visit to New Delhi between April 18 to April 20, 2018. Also visiting India during the period will be HE Sheikh Ahmad Al Sabah, President ANOC, and President OCA.
The visit of IOC President, Mr Thomas Bach and ANOC & OCA President HE Sheikh Ahmad Al Sabah will include potential meetings with the Indian Government including the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore on 19 April 2018. This will be followed by a meeting with the Members of IOA Executive Board spearheaded by newly-elected President Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra and Secretary General Mr. Rajeev Mehta.
While turning India into a major challenger in world sports and powering India’s performance at the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games will be key talking points of the meeting, Dr Batra is also expected to express IOA’s preparedness to host multi-discipline sporting events in the near future. “While I cannot divulge or speculate what will be discussed during the IOC President Thomas Bach’s and ANOC & OCA President HE Sheikh Ahmad Al Sabah meetings with the Indian Government and the Union Sports Minister, the IOA would certainly convey our readiness to host big-ticket multi-discipline events in India and would like to discuss how we can effectively work towards achieving IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020 strategy,” stated Dr Batra.
On taking over as the President of IOC in 2013, Mr. Bach had visited India for the first time in 2015. However, this will be the first time that he would be meeting the newly-elected Board Members of IOA. Mr. Bach will also meet with all the Indian Olympic Medal Winners at a Gala Dinner hosted by IOA on 19 April 2018 before which, he will spend the evening watching the futuristic and fast-paced five-a-side Hockey exhibition match. “We are at a crucial juncture in this Olympic Cycle and Mr. Bach's visit along with that of HE Sheikh Ahmad Al Sabah, will provide a boost in driving IOA's long-term ambition of growing India into a sporting super power,” emphasized Dr Batra.
