Delhi, Mumbai, Bhubaneswar Are Best For Hosting Global Sports Events: Report

NEW DELHI : Delhi, Mumbai, Bhubaneswar, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad have become the five largest cities in India with the infrastructure for hot global sporting events. This was the result of a joint report by the consulting, auditing and consulting firm Grant Thornton Bharat and the industry association CII.

Of course, India has hosted several global sporting events over the years, including the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the 2011 ICC World Cup, the FIFA U17 World Cup, the 2011 Formula 1 Indian Grand Prix, and the World Hockey Championship. However, among the 10 largest economies in the world, India is the only country that did not host the prestigious Summer Olympics.

Also read | India’s vaccine rollout is changing gears

The Sports Cities of India 2021 report, featured on the sixth edition of the CII Global Sports Summit Scorecard, assessed the country’s willingness to host global sporting events. These cities were rated on parameters such as the ability to host world-class multisport events, the fan base at live events, the easy access and availability of playgrounds / sports facilities, the quality of sports academies and coaching centers, the quality of stadiums and facilities. among other.

The results are based on a survey of 50 respondents, which included sports professionals, associations, governments, leagues, clubs, academies, infrastructure developers, sports media and event / sports management agencies.

Delhi and Mumbai were named India’s top cities with an overall score of 7.9. Several mega-events took place in Delhi, including the FIH Men’s Hockey and the Commonwealth Games 2010. Although it has a high-quality infrastructure, the presence of associations and sports companies, it has to be with fans and with the proper use of sports facilities in parts of Stages are improved.

Despite a lack of space, Mumbai, India’s financial capital, has hosted 20 major international sporting events over the past four years, with an average of five events per year. It has to improve the quality of the stadium and people’s active participation in the day to pay for sports.

Odisha’s capital, Bhubaneswar, became the key city after Delhi and Mumbai with a score of 7.2. However, the local teams in the national leagues need to be improved and sports companies, federations / federations as well as brands and manufacturers need to be represented in the city. The state supports three professional sports league teams – Kalinga Lancers, Odisha FC and Indian Arrows. After hosting the 2018 World Hockey Championship and the 2017 Asian Athletics Championship, Bhubaneswar has also won the contract to host the 2023 World Hockey Championship – the first time in history that the same hosts will compete in a row.

In the meantime, Bengaluru has a good infrastructure with 6.8 points and an active involvement of young people and society in daily sports. The number of national and international sporting events and tournaments that take place in the city needs to be improved.

Ahmedabad, home of the world’s largest cricket stadium Narendra Modi with a capacity of 1,10,000 spectators, achieved a high score of 6.4 points for infrastructure, facilities and fan base. According to the report, the city is an example of the effective implementation of a public-private partnership (PPP) for sports facilities. The EKA Arena, which is jointly owned by SE TransStadia and the government of Gujarat, has a football stadium with a capacity of 20,000, where the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup was held.

“This report serves as the starting point for an annual study on sports cities and events in India. Such a study will be important for us to continuously evaluate, recalibrate and strengthen our methods of developing sport in India,” said Anupam Goswami , Chairman. CII National Committee on Sports and CEO, Mashal Sports & League Commissioner, Pro Kabaddi League.

Kunal Sood, partner of Grant Thornton Bharat, noted that there had been recent discussions that India could be a potential host for some of the marquee events in the world of sport, including bidding for the prestigious Olympic Games.

“While it is evident that the road to hosting such an event is long and full of hurdles, it is important to assess where the strengths and opportunities for improvement for our cities currently lie,” he said.

Subscribe to something As good as new newsletter

* * Please enter a valid email address

* * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.