In a historic moment for Indian sports, Paris Olympics 2024 witnessed the grand opening of India House, the first-ever country house for India at the Olympic Games. The event was graced by various personalities marking a new chapter in India’s Olympic journey.
The opening ceremony commenced with Nita Ambani, IOC member and Founder & Chairperson of the Reliance Foundation, lighting the lamp.
PT Usha, President of the Indian Olympic Association Ser Miang NG, IOC Committee member; HE Jawed Ashraf, Ambassador of India to France; Jay Shah, Honorary Secretary of BCCI; and Olympic Gold Medallist Abhinav Bindra was present at the event.
India House commemorates the completion of 100 years of the country’s Olympic participation. It is located at the Parc de la Villette in Paris, which has been designated as the ‘Park of Nations’. It is surrounded by 14 other hospitality houses, including those from the Netherlands, Canada, Brazil and France.
This is the first time India has set up such a facility at the Olympic Games, with the aim of promoting Indian culture and expressing the country’s aspiration to host the 2036 Games. India House plays an important role in shaping India’s presence on the global sporting stage.
The opening event started with the songs of singer Shaan, who enthralled the audience with his popular tracks. Visually impaired children from Mumbai also performed traditional Indian sport of Mallakhamb.
What is the aim of India House?
The 40,000 sq ft. facility centre aims to be a home away from home for Indian athletes, a place to honour, support, and celebrate their achievements. It will be open to visitors from 11 am to 11 pm local time during the Olympic Games from July 27 to August 11.
India House is more than just a housing facility; it is a cultural institution reflecting India’s rich past. It offers a variety of events and activities aimed to keep the athletes motivated and connected to their roots while they compete on the international stage.
This also includes tributes to Indian architecture and artistic motifs, virtual reality tourism, cricket matches, workshops on traditional arts like block printing, and Bollywood dance sessions. The house also features a lounge for athletes and a culinary showcase of Indian cuisine.
Conceptualised by the Reliance Foundation in partnership with the Indian Olympic Association, it showcases Indian culture, arts, sports, technology etc. The India House also becomes a place for fans of the Indian athletes to gather for event “watch-parties” and celebrations during competitive events, and in some cases, athletes who medal make an appearance during the day or evening.
This effort is part of a broader strategy to improve the performance of Indian athletes, support national sports federations, and ultimately aspire to host the Olympic Games in 2036.
Nita Ambani in her speech highlighted the significance of India House, describing it as a dream come true for 1.4 billion Indians. “Welcome to the first ever India House in the history of the Olympics. Today we gather here at the Paris Olympic Games 2024 to open the doors to a dream, a dream that belongs to 1.4 million Indians. A dream to bring India to the Olympics and our shared dream to bring the Olympics to India,” she said.
She emphasised the potential of India House as a tipping point for Indian sports, suggesting that it symbolises the country’s Olympic aspirations and could pave the way for India to host the Olympics in the future. “It is time that the flame, which was first lit in Athens, lights up in our ancient land, India. 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,” she further said.
“When we were in Paris last month, we did have an opportunity to go and have a look at the place where the India House is being set up. It’s basically a facility which is not only meant for athletes but also for the Indian diaspora to visit and enjoy the direct feed of matches involving Indian athletes, said IOA president P T Usha.
A lot of cultural activities have been being planned where we will showcase India’s tourism, progress made in digitalisation and cultural activities. There will be a dedicated Indian food section for the country’s athletes and travelling Indian fans and mediapersons. Two restaurants will be set up which will serve food dishes from North and South India,” she added.
Notably, at the Rio Olympics in 2016, the hospitality houses only had a pool, a swim-up bar and a two-storey video screen streaming the Olympics.
Dravid backs cricket’s debut at LA 2028
Former Indian cricket captain and head coach Rahul Dravid on July 29 toured India House in Paris and emphasises the value of such facilities in giving a morale boost and developing a sense of community among athletes.
During his tour, Dravid was seen mentoring the athletes, delivering words of encouragement. He was a part of an exclusive panel discussion organised by Dream Sports, titled ‘Cricket at the Olympics – Dawn of a new Era’, at the first ever India House at the ongoing Paris Olympics.
“If you love sport as I have, you grow up with the Olympics. My earliest memories are of Carl Lewis winning at the Olympics and television coming to India. We used to be glued to the television sets to watch these great athletes perform and play. You always wanted to be a part of a great event. You have great events in cricket but they are individual events. To be in this kind of environment, energy and vibe is a dream come true for any sportsman,” Rahul Dravid said.
Dravid also reflected on the passion for the sport in the USA and said that there is a huge passion for the game over there.
“We know there is an incredible audience for cricket in the USA. We know that just from the number of people who travel from USA to other World Cup events. There is a huge passion for the game in the USA. Just growing the game and having more people play the game was phenomenal,” he added.
