World Athletics Boss Sebastian Coe In India, Meets Sports Minister

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe met Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday and discussed India's intent to host the 2036 Olympics along with development of athletics in the country. Coe will also have an "informal" meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the short visit. The 68-year-old former middle distance runner, who won four Olympic medals during his decorated career, was received by Athletics Federation of India head Adille Sumariwalla at the Delhi airport this morning. The British great is currently in the race to become the next President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the visit, it is believed, is part of his campaign to drum up support for that.

"Dr. Mandaviya spoke about India's resolve to host a sustainable, inclusive, and inspiring Games, and added that our ambition to host Olympics 2036 reflects the widespread support at every level -- government, industry, and society -- for showcasing India's cultural heritage and sporting capabilities at the world stage," a press release from the sports ministry stated.

The country has moved forward in the process of bidding by submitting a letter of intent to the IOC last month. The host city will be decided only after the IOC elections next year. The body is currently headed by Thomas Bach, who has been supportive of India's ambitious plan.

Sumariwalla, AFI Secretary General Ravinder Chaudhary, and several sports ministry officials were present in the meeting between Coe and Mandaviya.

"These are informal meetings, basically courtesy calls. He will head to Mumbai for a commercial engagement after his meeting with the PM in the evening," a source in the Athletics Federation of India told PTI.

Coe, whose grandfather was an Indian (late hotelier Sardari Lal Malhotra), is a popular figure in international sports and created quite a buzz before the Paris Olympics when World Athletics, under him, became the first international federation to announce hefty cash awards for Olympic medal winners.

During his visit, the AFI is expected to pitch for hosting the 2028 junior world championships.

In Mumbai, he will meet representatives of Tata Communications. The company was roped in as the host broadcaster for the World Athletics Ultimate Championship, which will be held in 2026 from September 11 to 13 in Budapest.

The event will feature between eight and 16 of the world's top-ranked athletes per discipline, with selections based primarily on world rankings.

There will be no cap on how many stars from each country can compete in each event. A total of 16 competitions, including 100m, pole vault and 4x100m will be conducted for a total prize pot of USD 10 million.

India's athletics scene is not particularly inspiring barring the pioneering performances of two-time Olympic gold-winning javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who is also a world champion.