Gujarat’s Olympic Dream: ICC Chairman Jay Shah eyes 2036 Games after Commonwealth Games 2030; sets 100-medal target

Olympics 2036: After hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2030, India is looking to bring the Olympic Games to Gujarat in 2036, said International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman Jay Shah on Sunday. He further said that the country has set a target of winning 100 medals in the prestigious event.Addressing the 'Run for Girl Child' marathon organised by Dr Hedgewar Seva Smruti Seva Samiti in Surat, Shah hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for having a key role in bringing the Commonwealth Games to Gujarat in 2036.Referring to India's performance at the Paris Olympics in 2024, where the country won eight medals, Shah said the target for 2036 should be at least 100 medals, with Gujarat contributing 10 of them."The Prime Minister has brought the Commonwealth Games to India in 2030, but we shouldn't stop there. We must also bring the 2036 Olympics to India. We won eight medals in the 2024 Olympics, but I want to tell you all that eight medals won't be enough in 2036. We have to win at least 100 medals. Of those 100 medals, we will win at least 10 from Gujarat. I have complete faith in that," Jay Shah said.He exuded confidence that women athletes would win at least two of those medals.During the speech, Shah also praised the Indian men's cricket team for winning back-to-back ICC white-ball events (2024 T20 World Cup in Barbados and 2025 Champions Trophy) following the heartbreak of the 2023 Cricket World Cup.In the 2023 ODI World Cup, we won hearts but could not win the trophy. At a private event, I said that in 2024, we would win both the hearts and the cup and we did, winning the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup final. We also won the Champions Trophy," Jay Shah added.Highlighting the growing impact of women's sports, he said that earlier parents often expressed a desire for their sons to become like Virat Kohli, but now many aspire for their daughters to emulate cricketers such as Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur.Meanwhile, the Suryakumar Yadav-led India are set to defend their title at the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka.The defending champions are placed in Group A alongwith Namibia, Netherlands, Pakistan and the United States of America. The Men in Blue will begin their campaign against the United States on February 7.(With agency inputs)