India has taken a giant leap in the world of athletics with the striking performance by the country’s athletes across the board in recent years, which has boosted the sporting ecosystem in the nation greatly.

While speaking to News 18, IOA President PT Usha discusses the opportunities the IOC Session 2023, scheduled to be held in Mumbai, will provide the nation with and the aspirations of the nation to host the Olympic Games one day.

India caused a stir as the nation bagged the hosting rights for the IOC session set to take place in the year 2023.

The Indian delegation spearheaded by IOC Member Mrs Nita Ambani, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President Dr Narinder Batra, Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Mr Anurag Singh Thakur, and India’s first individual Olympic gold medallist (Beijing 2008, shooting), Mr Abhinav Bindra, played a crucial role in bringing the prestigious event to Indian shores.

Usha stated that the occasion is a massive chance for the country to show the world its enormous abilities and that she believes with the support of the famous philanthropist, Mrs. Ambani, the nation will produce a memorable session that postures towards a positive bid for the international showpiece one day.

With the nation harbouring lofty ambition of being able to host the most watched sporting event on the planet in the future, the IOA chief gave a positive sign of the possibility of bringing the Olympic Games to India.

“We are ready. I don’t want to comment on the bid now, but we are positive," the legendary athlete stated.

The former sprinter said that India have targeted a bid for the 2036 edition of the games and said that all the powers that be all pulling in the same direction.

“2036 is a good target for us. It’s not just about hosting but being in the Olympics medal tally also. When we host the Games, we should also be strong in the medal tally," Usha said.

Usha however speaking on Neeraj Chopra’s success said, “Very happy that Neeraj won the gold at the World Championships. He is a big inspiration for all and we were expecting it. Other countries are now watching our performances and we are in the medal tally of the World Championships," she began. 

Chopra has been on a brilliant streak as the star athlete added to his gold collection of Olympic, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games triumphs with his latest accolade. Usha added, “I hope Neeraj will do well in Asian games as well as others.”

She also spoke highly of the men’s 4x400m relay unit that placed fifth at the event in Budapest.

“The 4x400m men also did really well. Running under 3 minutes is not easy," she said applauding the valiant efforts of the athletes who put up a worthy display in Hungary.

The legendary sprinter also reflected on how far the nation has come in terms of infrastructure and exposure, which she pointed out as decisive factors in the sport.

“No comparison between my time and now. At that time nothing was there. There was no infrastructure and I had no exposure," she remembered.