Confusion reigns around India's 2036 Olympic Games bid slogan

New Delhi: A day after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) named India among seven countries that have stated interest in hosting the 2036 Olympic Games, the Indian Olympic Association welcomed the move through a press statement while outlining its 'vision 2036' with the two words: 'Rising Together.'

"'Rising Together', India’s vision, reflects the belief that 2036 can be a moment of mutual rise — when India’s transformation through sport and the Olympic Movement’s universal future come together through the Games," IOA said in a statement on October 7. IOA president PT Usha called it a "powerful commitment to unite India’s energy, ambition and diversity behind a shared Olympic dream.

However, a few international experts from the field of sports management and operations have pointed out in social media platforms that 'Rising Together' is also slogan of Japanese National Olympic Committee that they have been using since 2021 and it might lead to trademark related issues. Questions have also been raised at home by former IOA president Narinder Batra who has written to IOA president PT Usha and Sports Ministry, saying the tagline — Rising Together — is part of broader vision of the Japanese Olympic Committee.

"The adoption of the same expression by the IOA for India's Olympic bid creates an entirely avoidable perception of imitation. Even if the choice was made independently and without any intention to copy, the similarity is likely to invite questions about the originality of our thinking and the quality of the professional advice received," Batra wrote to Usha, and sports secretary Hari Ranjan Rao on Tuesday.

‘Rising Together’ is not simply a slogan — it is a powerful commitment to unite India’s energy, ambition and diversity behind a shared Olympic dream. As we develop our vision for 2036, we want to create a Games that reflects the confidence of a young, dynamic and rising India, while contributing to the Olympic and Paralympic Movements’ ambitions to reach new generations, new communities and new horizons around the world," IOA president PT Usha said.

IOA, however, said too much is being made out of a headline seeking to build a narrative emphasising India's ambition to host the Games and the Olympic movement opening up to new audiences and wider reach.

Last year in July, when a delegation of the IOA, sports ministry and officials from the Gujarat government made a presentation to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) regarding Ahmedabad's bid, it said the vision rests on three pillars, including the Indian ideal of vasudhaiva kutumbakam, “The world is one family."

IOA CEO Raghuram Iyer told HT there was no change in India's position.

"In our presentation of the vision document to the IOC, we embraced the idea of vasudhaiva kutumbakam (The world is one family) in welcoming the Games. We will continue to be guided by the philosophy of vasudhaiva kutumbakam. It is rooted to the cultural ethos of our country.

"With this in mind, 'Rising Together' is a headline we have used in emphasising the coming together of India's ambition to host the Games and drive transformation through sports, and the opportunity for the Olympic movement to enter a new era, reach out to more than a billion people and open up to the world's youngest, most dynamic and digitally connected population," Iyer added.

There is still a long way to go before the final bid document, which will carry the official taglines and marketing elements, is submitted. Following the continuous dialogue process there is a strategic dialogue phase, after which the bid document will be finalised.

On October 6, IOC named India, Germany, Hungary, Qatar, Republic of Korea, South Africa and Türkiye, as 'Interested Parties' with whom it is in 'Continuous Dialogue' phase as part of the process to select the host for the 2036 Olympic Games. In this phase, the IOC delivers a series of virtual technical workshops to the 'Interested Parties' to help them develop their projects in terms of venue masterplan, funding strategy, and vision, impact and legacy. Their projects are being technically evaluated by the IOC, supported by independent reports and public opinion polling.

"The Interested Parties have been invited to present their projects to the Future Host Commission in November," IOC said.

The IOC Executive Board in March next year will then shortlist interested parties who can move into a focused strategic dialogue. During the new strategic dialogue phase, the IOC will offer enhanced technical support to the potential hosts, as they provide an initial response to the Future Host Questionnaire and core legal and financial guarantees. The Future Host Commission will carry out site visits to the proposed host regions and produce a report for the EB.

In December 2028, the preferred hosts will be invited into a 'targeted dialogue,' with IOC Members expected to elect the host in mid-2029.