With the objective of bringing the biggest sporting events to India such as the Olympic Games, there is a requirement to assess our country’s readiness to host mega sports events, says Grant Thornton Bharat-CII’s Sports Cities of India 2021 report. With a fast-developing world-class sporting ecosystem, 5 leading cities - Delhi, Mumbai, Bhubaneswar, Bengaluru, and Ahmedabad – are fast-tracking India’s journey to emerge as a leading sports destination. The report, launched at the 6th edition of CII’s 2-day global sports summit Scorecard 2021, is aimed at capturing positives, areas of improvement, and the way forward for these leading sports cities of India, and is supplemented with a calendar for sports events scheduled to take place in India this year. The Summit was graced by dignitaries and industry leaders including Mr. Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State (I/C) of Youth Affairs and Sports, Ayush and Minority Affairs, GOI; Mr. Nigel Huddleston, Minister of Sport, Tourism, and Heritage, UK; Mr. Anupam Goswami, Chairman, CII National Committee on Sports & CEO Mashal Sports & League Commissioner, Pro Kabaddi League, among others leading influencers in sports.

Said Mr. Kunal Sood, Partner, Grant Thornton Bharat, “In recent times, there have been talks of India being a potential host to 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 would be long and full of hurdles, it is important to assess where the strengths and areas of improvement for our cities currently lie. As advisor to various state governments, we have been doing our bit in professionalising sports management in India.”

According to Mr Anupam Goswami, the CII Scorecard 2021 summit effectively brings together the best minds in Indian sports on a common platform. “This event is also an ideal platform to launch this report, which serves as a starting point for an annual study for sports cities and events in India. Such a study will be important for us to continuously assess, recalibrate and strengthen our methodologies to develop sports in India.”

The key highlight of the report is a survey that assesses the leading sports cities of India and their current ability to host mega sports events. Survey respondents included 50 senior sports professionals from the industry, including professionals from NSFs, associations, government, leagues, clubs, academies, infrastructure developers, sports media and event/sports management agencies, amongst others. 

In addition to the Sports Cities of India coverage, the report also showcases select stories of impact in Indian sports covering the journey of top sports foundations (Reliance Foundation, GoSports Foundation) and initiatives (Pinkathon).