Union minister for sports and youth welfare Anurag Thakur on Monday said that India is trying to host the 2036 Summer Olympics and by 2047, the country will be among the top-5 medal winning nations in the world.

Thakur while attending the opening ceremony of Khelo India University Games in Assam’s Guwahati said that in recent years Indian athletes broke all the records in global games including Olympics.

He said, “In the 2004 Athens Olympics, 52% of the medal winners from England were University students. For the USA the percentage is even higher. This is why the university games are important and the Government of India is focusing on strengthening such games. He said that in the World University Games, held in China last year, Indian athletes broke all the past records by winning 26 medals and secured the 7th position in the world.

Thakur also praised Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for taking lead in improving the sports infrastructure and supporting the athletes to perform in global stages.

Sarma while addressing the opening of the game said that with the help of the central government, they are developing the sports infrastructure across the state.

“We are building an International standard football stadium in Guwahati by spending ₹800 crores. We are building large stadiums in all the districts spending ₹50 crore each and additional sports complexes in all the 126 assembly constituencies spending ₹12 crore each,” he said.

According to Sarma, Khelo India University Games has added another feather to Assam’s rich legacy of sports culture. He also appealed to the Union minister to organise National Games in Assam in 2025 or 2026.

In the fourth edition of Khelo India University Games 2024, 822 medals will be awarded to the university students in different categories. The games will be conducted in seven Northeastern states including Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Nagaland and Tripura.

Assam will host the majority of the events, while weightlifting will be held in Arunachal Pradesh, archery in Tripura. Men’s football will be held in Mizoram, men’s boxing in Sikkim, wrestling in Nagaland and yogasana events will take place in Tripura.

Before attending the opening ceremony, Thakur, who is also the Union minister for information and broadcasting, visited the Doordarshan Kendra in Guwahati and inaugurated the RNU news production room there.

He said, “This will significantly increase the Centre’s output and provide the people with high-quality services.”

The information and broadcasting minister also acknowledged the importance and contribution of the region to the nation, especially in bringing laurels from sports events.

Talking to the media in Guwahati, he said that the eight Northeastern states are very important for the central government, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Look East Policy has changed the face of this part of the country.