2036 Olympics boost for sports, country: Sorling

“It is in a very early stage. At the end of the day, it is a boost for sports, country, and society,” Sörling told The Indian Express.

According to its CEO Moulik Bhatt, the Trust has worked with marginalised communities over the last eight years, introducing them to sports. (Express File Photo)

Gujarat bidding for the 2036 Olympics would be a boost for “sports, the country, and society”, Petra Sörling, President of the International Table Tennis Federation and a member of the International Olympic Committee, said on Monday.

Sorling made the remarks during the visit to the Kapadvanj Kelavani Mandal (KKM) in the Kheda district to review the sports facilities. When asked about the 2036 Olympics bid, she said the focus should be on “building grassroots facilities”.

“It is in a very early stage. At the end of the day, it is a boost for sports, country, and society,” Sörling told The Indian Express.

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The Kapadwanj Kelavani Mandal was established in 1940 and serves as a public charitable trust, dedicated to enhancing education, healthcare, and sports training in the region. It gets over 7,000 students annually. According to its CEO Moulik Bhatt, the Trust has worked with marginalised communities over the last eight years, introducing them to sports.

According to Bhatt, “freedom fighters started the Trust” and then it was managed by the community. “Till 2013, the goal was to provide education. Sports came into the picture in 2017. We already had a good community involvement here with badminton tournaments, and table tennis was a natural progression for us”.

Referring to the lack of facilities for the development of sports for these sections, Bhatt said, “Marginalised people don’t have that financial background or facilities. They have an inferiority complex as well. So once we started providing education, they gained that trust in us to play sports as well.”

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