Congress leader Karti Chidambaram on Saturday warned against India’s desire to host the Olympics, saying it will be a colossal disaster for the country. The Lok Sabha member from Sivaganga argued that hosting the global multi-sport event will not only drive the country into a huge financial debt but the infrastructure built with the money will go unused after the Olympics.

Chidambaram’s remark came as a response to International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Nita Ambani’s statement at an event where she talked about the “shared dream to bring the Olympics to India”.

Speaking at the opening of India House in Paris, Nita Ambani said, “The day is not far when India will host the Olympic Games. May this be our collective resolve at the opening of the India House.”

“Today, we gather here at the Paris Olympic Games 2024, to open the doors to a dream. A dream that belongs to 1.4 billion Indians. A dream to bring India to the Olympics, and our shared dream to bring the Olympics to India,” Ambani said.

“A nation, in its journey through time reaches a tipping point. A point when it changes the course of its history. India has arrived. It is time that the flame that was first lit in Athens must light the skies of our ancient land India,” she added.

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Reacting to Nita Ambani’s statement, Chidambaram posted on X, “Hosting the @olympics will be a colossal disaster for us as a country. We will be forced to build stadia which will be seldom used & the financial burden will drive us into a huge debt. It’s better to focus on supporting our sportspersons & give them the resources to train, travel & compete. Let’s make champions from India to start with.”

In October 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi confirmed that India would bid to host the 2036 Olympics.

“India is very excited to organise an Olympics,” he said. “India will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to organise the 2036 Olympics. It’s a dream of 140 crore Indians. With the support of IOC, we would want to fulfil this dream. Sports is not just for winning medals but it is also the best way to win hearts. It not only gives rise to champions but also promotes peace.”