India’s bid to host the 2036 Olympic Games was questioned after the ICCT Twenty20 World Cup clash with Bangladesh.
The British newspaper The Guardian reports that this incident has increased the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on the potential impact of politics in sports and the fear of future boycotts.
India’s International Cricket Council (ICC) president Jay Shah rejected Bangladesh’s request to host Sri Lanka instead of India in the group stage matches.
The conflict arose after political tensions between India and Bangladesh spilled over into the game.
Bangladesh cited security concerns, but the ICC closed the schedule, with Scotland replacing Bangladesh in the tournament.
T20 World Cup: What does the ICC rule say about match boycott?
T20 World Cup: Pakistan’s decision to boycott, BCCI’s announcement to support ICC
According to this report, the issue comes at a critical time as India recently won the hosting of the 2030 Joint Games in Ahmedabad and is emerging as a strong contender for the 2036 Olympics with Qatar seen as its main rival.
According to IOC sources, it is not possible for any country to host the Olympics as participating countries may boycott due to geographical or political disputes.
The Olympic Charter emphasizes the complete separation of sport and politics and does not allow for political or religious expression.
The Guardian cites the example of the IOC, which recently barred Indonesia from hosting a world gymnastics event for refusing to grant visas to Israeli athletes, which severely damaged Olympic goals.
The report added that if India is to become a credible Olympic host, it will have to show clear improvement in its sporting relations with neighboring countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan, otherwise ongoing disputes in international cricket could become a major obstacle to its Olympics.
