IOC CONFIMS INDIA AND QATAR AMONG SEVEN BIDDERS TO HOST 2036 OLYMPIC GAMES

Other formal bidders include South Africa, South Korea, Germany, Hungary and Turkey

Interested parties have until the end of this month to lodge a formal bid for the 2036 Olympics. Photograph: Thibaud Moritz/AFP via Getty

India and Qatar are among seven bidders to host the 2036 Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee has confirmed.

Interested parties have until the end of this month to lodge a formal bid and enter a dialogue process which will culminate in a final vote by IOC members in 2029.

India has long been seen a front-runner, with Ahmedabad, the capital of Gujarat, the home state of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, already announced as hosts of the 2030 Commonwealth Games.

Qatar launched unsuccessful bids to host both the 2016 and 2020 Games, losing out to Rio and Tokyo respectively. It intends to rely heavily on infrastructure created for its successful 2022 hosting of the football World Cup.

Munich won the right to bid on behalf of Germany following a vote by the country’s sports authority, the DOSB, late last month. Other formal bidders include South Africa, South Korea, Hungary and Turkey.

Following the closure of the initial bidding process, interested parties will make virtual presentations and undergo feasibility studies before the IOC executive board selects an initial shortlist.

South Korea and Germany are the only countries on the current list who have previously hosted the Games. Seoul staged the 1988 summer edition, while Berlin and Munich did so in 1936 and 1972.

An Indonesian bid to host the Games in Nusantara was rejected by the IOC after the country refused to permit Israeli athletes to compete at the World Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta in 2025.

- The Irish Times

CHESS PRODIGY GUKESH BEATS DING TO BECOME THE YOUNGEST WORLD CHAMPION

AP

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian teenager Gukesh Dommaraju became the youngest chess world champion Thursday after beating the defending champion Ding Liren of China in the final match of their series in Singapore.

Dommaraju, 18, secured 7.5 points against 6.5 of his Chinese rival in the contest, surpassing the achievement of Russia’s Garry Kasparov who won the title at the age of 22.

The Indian teen prodigy has long been considered a rising star in the chess world after he became a chess grandmaster at 12. He had entered the match as the youngest-ever challenger to the world crown after winning the Candidates tournament earlier this year.

After securing victory, Dommaraju burst into tears and raised his arms in celebration.

“I was dreaming this moment for the last 10 years. I am happy that I realized the dream (and made it) into reality,” he told reporters after his win.

Dommaraju is now the second Indian to win the title after five-time world chess champion Viswanathan Anand.

“It’s a proud moment for chess, a proud moment for India... and for me, a very personal moment of pride,” Anand, who has been a mentor to Dommaraju, said in a post on X.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the 18-year-old on his “remarkable accomplishment,” calling it “the result of his unparalleled talent, hard work and unwavering determination.”

“His triumph has not only etched his name in the annals of chess history but has also inspired millions of young minds to dream big and pursue excellence,” Modi said in a post on X.

Thursday’s match was a 14-round long-time classical event with a prize fund of $2.5 million.

- AP

SAFEGUARDING INDIA WOMEN WRESTLERS MAY BE KEY TO FEDERATION'S RETURN

Sakshi Malik. PTI Photo

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), battling a sexual harassment scandal, may need to safeguard women wrestlers to get its suspension lifted, the game's global governing body said on Saturday.

The Wrestling Federation of India was suspended by the United World Wrestling (UWW) in August after failing to hold its election on time.

The UWW had asked for a fresh election after the WFI's then-president, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a lawmaker from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, was charged with sexual harassment and criminal intimidation.

Singh has denied wrongdoing and is out on bail, but the victory of a candidate he backed as his successor in Thursday's election has triggered fresh protest.

Sakshi Malik, a top woman wrestler quit the game in protest, while male wrestler and fellow Olympic medallist Bajrang Punia returned one of India's highest civilian awards.