Despite the known challenges of limited Olympic success and strong competition from other bidders, it is worth examining why and how India stands a chance of hosting the mecca of sports on its soil. To begin with, India has shown a steady improvement in its sports performance. This has been influenced by stronger institutional support for sports infrastructure, initiatives like the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) and Khelo India, along with significant breakthroughs in multi-sport and individual events, including the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and the like.

The world has seen a significant shift in channeling sports mega-events (SMEs) and athletic excellence to assert global agency amongst the Global South. Research also supports the advantages of conducting SME in the Global South.

As the emerging Global South economies bid for and host major SMEs, the local, regional, and international actors often strategically leverage these events to promote sustainable human development practices and social change. As SMEs attract a complex mix of stakeholders, including public institutions, CSOs, international sports governing bodies, and private corporate sponsors, they often create unique opportunities for high-level dialogue within and across host-nation boundaries.

Secondly, India has already proved its mettle by championing the collective interests of developing nations over a wide range of issues ranging from vaccine diplomacy and climate equity to consensus-building during its G20 Presidency, making it an undisputed voice of the Global South. Hosting the games of global importance will provide other developing countries a template that issues central to the Global South discourse can be upheld while hosting a mega-event of this magnitude.

Like the Tokyo, Seoul, and Beijing Olympics have been a platform to mark the host nations' rise in the global economic landscape, India's bid for 2036 is being designed to be a global coming-of-age moment. The bid is concretely backed by the massive infrastructure feedback loop with high-speed rail networks, high-class airport expansions, sustainable urban transit systems, and cutting-edge sports complexes.

By hosting the Olympics, India can change the narrative of how developing nations are active participants in shaping the global order and not just passive recipients. Thus, the 2036 Olympic bid is not just about hosting an event of historical and global importance; it is yet another attempt to showcase global leadership and align diplomacy, sustainable economic development,and the voice of the Global South into a common cause.