The city of Mumbai on Saturday was announced as the host of the 2023 International Olympic Committee's (IOC) session after successfully bidding for it in the 139th IOC session being held in Beijing alongside the ongoing Winter Olympics. This will be the second time India will host an IOC session after hosting it in New Delhi, 1983.
Leading the Indian presentation in Beijing were Abhinav Bindra, the country's first individual Olympics gold medallist in 2008, IOC Member Nita Ambani, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Narinder Batra and Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Thakur.
Mumbai received 99 per cent of the votes from the delegates participating in the process, with 75 members endorsing its candidature to host the IOC session in 2023.
"I thank Mrs Nita Ambani for her vision and leadership and also thank all my IOC Member colleagues for their support, I cannot wait to see you here in Mumbai next year. This is the start of a new era for India sport -- an era that features the long-term goal of hosting the Olympic Games in India. We are ambitious and recognise our objectives are bold," said Batra.
The session, to be held in the summer of 2023, will be hosted at the Jio World Convention Centre (JWC) in Bandra Kurla Complex at Mumbai. The JWC will start operations in early 2022.
"But India is on an exciting journey and we want the Olympic Movement to play a central part in building a brighter future for our next generation. Delivering a truly memorable IOC Session in Mumbai in 2023, with a strong emphasis on youth potential, sustainability, and innovation, will be one of the first steps to showcase India's new sporting capacity," added Batra.