Panaji: The Goa Olympic Association (GOA) is keen to host at least one event if India wins the bid to host the Olympics in 2036.Backed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has launched an aggressive bid to stage the 2036 Olympics in Ahmedabad. According to ‘Review Meeting – Preparedness towards Amdavad 2036’, an official document prepared by the govt for initial discussions, Gujarat’s twin cities of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar will host a majority of the 33 games that are scheduled to be played, while four other cities — Goa, Bhopal, Mumbai and Pune – have also been mentioned.Goa has been shortlisted to host football and sailing. The Eka Arena in Ahmedabad will host the football preliminaries while Goa and Mumbai will host the main rounds.“GOA will look at the possibility of hosting at least one major sporting event in Goa if India wins the Olympics bid in 2036,” Rajya Sabha MP Sadanand Shet Tanavade said after being elected unopposed as GOA president on Tuesday. “We cannot achieve anything individually. We must all join hands. The state associations must work harder to identify young talent, even from the villages, and groom them for higher levels of competition.”Having hosted major football events in the past, Goa has the necessary infrastructure to host international football. The Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, constructed in a record time of less than nine months in 1988-89, has hosted the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2017, FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in 2022 and National Games 2023.During the Covid-19 pandemic, the top-tier Indian Super League (ISL) was played entirely in Goa at three different venues.In his acceptance address, Tanavade said GOA would work towards creating better support systems for athletes and pursue the long-standing vision of an Olympic Bhavan in Goa. He also urged associations to explore CSR funding and other avenues of financial support.“GOA is a prestigious organisation, but we don’t have an office of our own. We are doing everything through (former general secretary Gurudutta) Bhakta’s office. His office staff has contributed so much to the organisation. We will soon have our own independent office,” said Tanavade.GOA Executive Committee for 2026-30: President: Sadanand Shet Tanavade; vice presidents: Caitano Fernandes, Sandhya Paliekar, Sudesh Thakur and Bhageshri Padloskar; secretary general: Sandeep Heble; treasurer: Jayesh Naik; joint secretary: Manoj Patil; executive members: Rukmini Kamat, Navin Pai Raikar, Abhay Bhamaikar, Viplava Bhakta and Akhil Parrikar
