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Delhi 2024 CANDIDATURE FILE constituting an application for hosting the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad in 2024

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Page 1: Delhi 2024

Delhi 2024

CANDIDATURE FILE constituting an application for hosting the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad in 2024

Page 2: Delhi 2024

Dates of the Olympic Games

1.1. Ideal dates for the Delhi 2024 Games

Delhi 2020 proposes Saturday, 28 September-Sunday, 13 October

as the 16-day period for the competitions of the Games of the

XXXIII Olympiad, following the Olympic Opening Ceremony on

Friday, 27 September. The Closing Ceremony would take place on

Sunday, 13 October. Subsequently, the Paralympic Games would

take place between Friday, 25 October to Sunday, 2 November.

These dates will offer comparably pleasant meteorological

conditions to the athletes, little chance of precipitation and – due to

an alteration of the summer holiday period – the opportunity for

children and volunteers from all across Delhi and India to participate

in the staging of the world’s premier sports event. These dates

would suit the needs of the International Federations and avoid

conflict with the schedules of other large-scale international sports

events. No other major events are planned in New Delhi, its

metropolitan area or the State of Delhi which could affect the 2024

Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Vision and Legacy

1.2 Our Motivation to Host the 2024 Games

India’s aspiration to host the Olympic Games chimes with its role as

a rising responsible power in Asia and beyond. It is known as the

world’s largest democracy, with a population only rivalled by one

other nation. Even at this stage, its creativity, well-educated

workforce and passion for success have made it the eleventh-

largest economy in terms of nominal GDP and the third-largest,

once adjusted for purchasing power parity.

In previous decades, the world has witnessed the power of the

Olympic Games to change things for the better. Whether we think

of the regeneration of the Olympic Movement caused by Los

Angeles 1984, the profound effect Seoul 1988 had on an entire

nation’s desire for freedom or the magic of Sydney 2000 – the

Games of the Olympiad have always been a catalyst for good.

Staging the Olympic Games in India, we acknowledge, is not

entirely without risk – but it will represent an immense reward for a

mature democracy, a strong economy and its willingness to tackle

its challenges head-on. A new generation is ready to infuse the

Olympic Movement with the passion of its dreams and the power of

the ideals first proclaimed by Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of

the Olympic Games of the modern era.

The Games we wish to aspire to will be marked by four elements:

technical excellence, encompassing transparency, passion for sport

and a legacy that will surpass anything the Olympic Movement has

witnessed to date. We propose an Olympic Games that will present

the very best of our nation, its hospitality and diverse culture –

whilst always ensuring that we will adhere to best practices in the

organization of such a global event. The 2010 Commonwealth

Games, whilst having been a painful lesson for our country,

provided the impetus for this bid. And as you will see in this

“A new

generation is

ready to infuse

the Olympic

Movement with

the passion of its

dreams”

Page 3: Delhi 2024

applicant file, the Delhi 2024 bid will be very different from what

the world saw in Delhi 2010. We will address the legitimate

concerns of IOC members and International Federations, whilst

inviting you to take a look at the facts and the progress we have

already made.

Every step of the way, Delhi 2024 will take the values of the

Olympic Charter into account – be it during its tenure as a

Candidate City, in the building of the Olympic Park, the working

conditions of the men and women contracted to build the Olympic

sites or the delivery of the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad and the

Paralympic Games. This is not just our pledge, it’s a generation’s

promise to bring honour to these ascendant Games, to emblaze the

hearts of one billion Indians with the fires of hope and share these

Games of old with a new country, a new subcontinent and a new

generation.

In the process, we will enable all citizens of New Delhi and its

surrounding metropolitan region to be actively involved with the

staging of the Olympic Games and to give a new home to the

dreams of millions of young people across the world. We propose to

transform New Delhi into an Olympic Region, where athletes,

officials and members of both Olympic and Paralympic Families

would be able to freely interact, exchange ideas with and share the

in the joy of the Host Community. Ours will be an Olympic Games

marked by the spirit of friendship, respect and intellectual curiosity.

With this community’s support, we are now submitting our

candidacy to become the host of the 2024 Olympic Games. These

Games will contribute to an accelerated development of sport

facilities in New Delhi and beyond. More than anything, the

bidding, transitional and delivery phases of the Games will ignite

the dormant passion of Indians for Olympic sport. They will also

enable the Olympic Movement to put Pierre de Coubertin’s ideals in

action in a hitherto unexplored market of 1.2 billion enthuasiastic

sports spectators.

There will be benefits beyond India as well: The Olympic ideals will

be strengthened across Asia, building on the organizational success

of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and the excellent winning

bid presented by Pyeongchang for the 2018 Winter Olympic

Games. The new and renovated sports facilities will make New

Delhi a new hub for international sports competitions for the future.

1.3 Benefits of hosting and bidding

The Delhi 2024 bid has already caused a re-evaluation within the

Indian sporting establishment. During the bid process, the citizens

of Delhi have already been exposed to the values of the Olympic

Movement – learning about the history that led to the foundation of

the Games of the Modern Era in 1896. The award of the Olympic

Games to New Delhi will ignite the enthusiasm of more than a

billion people for the Olympic Movement. More than that, the 2024

Games will serve as the impetus for the construction of state-of-

the-art sporting venues and the modernization of existing facilities,

all in line with the guiding principle of Delhi 2024: a beneficial

“Every step of the

way, Delhi

2024 will take

the values of the

Olympic Charter

into account”

Page 4: Delhi 2024

legacy for future generations of Olympic heroes.

Indian sportsmen and sportswomen would substantially benefit

from these facilities, thus enabling world-class performances at

Olympic Games, World Championships, Asian and Commonwealth

Games. The Delhi 2024 Committee has prepared a detailed Legacy

Plan. There will be no “white elephants”, badly maintained or

underfunded facilities, once the Olympic Games have moved on.

Instead, Delhi 2024 plans on making these Games the starting point

for an Indian quarter century of sport. Hosting the Paralympic

Games will have the added benefit of placing a long-overdue focus

on physically challenged athletes in India. Indians would see

Paralympic athletes in action – it is a near-certainty that this will

change social attitudes in India towards the topic of disability.

Besides the sporting aspects, the award of the Games would result

in tens of thousands of high-quality, well-paid jobs for Indian

personnel. Minimum wage provisions, as well as a legally binding

health and safety charter, and a health insurance for all employees

(including the personnel involved in the construction work) will

make Delhi 2024 a role model for other employers across India –

thus contributing to a social leveling.

1.4. What we will give the Olympic Movement

The Olympic Movement will benefit greatly from awarding the

Games of the XXXIII Olympiad to Delhi. Here’s why:

- We commit ourselves, independent of the result of the

bidding process to establish the Indian Olympic Centre in New

Delhi, at the banks of the Yamuna River, thus channeling existing

resources under one roof – and providing dedicated coaching,

training and medical facilities for our potential Olympians.

- We will live up to the promise to rally and unite a new

generation of young children who will be our future Olympians,

across the world. We will institute a ground-breaking programme

for school partnerships between Delhi schools and the schools of

former Olympic cities. We will establish an Olympic Lottery which

will assist to finance the construction of new sporting facilities,

promote high-level athletes and help in building affordable housing

for low-income, working families in Delhi and beyond. The Lottery

will be launched within 6 months of winning the bid for the 2024

Summer Olympic Games.

- We will set new standards in terms of reconciling the social

fabric and corporate interests. We will involve environmental and

civil society groups in the planning and execution of these Games.In

doing so, we will particularly seek the advice of expert groups like

Transparency International, Greenpeace, the International Labour

Organization and the governments of previous host countries to

ensure that Delhi 2024 will be an Olympic Games carried by the

widest coalition of Indian society.

- We will welcome the world and make Delhi the stage for an

“There will be no

“white elephants”,

badly maintained

or underfunded

facilities”

Page 5: Delhi 2024

Olympic Festival and a Year of Cultural Discovery. Our

friends from across the world will see Indian culture and

civilisation at its very best, providing highlights in art, music

and theatre. The Olympic Festival will give a new stage to

upcoming Indian artists to showcase their talent to our

friends from the other 204 countries and territories

participating in the Summer Olympic Games.

- We will organize these Games free from government

influence. All our executive board members possess

business and consulting experience. A Code of Ethics, strict

transparency requirements and a lobbyists register will

further ensure the accountability and overall efficacy of the

Delhi 2024 Committee, both during the bid process and the

preparatory phase for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.

We have also involved foreign consultants and experts who

actually know what they’re dealing with in terms of

organizing an Olympic Games.

- We have reached an agreement with the Delhi Government

(to be implemented from 2016 onwards) that aspects of the

Olympic Movement’s values and history will be taught in

primary and secondary schools throughout Delhi.

- We will provide good value for money to first-time visitors,

Indian citizens and our corporate partners alike. We will

keep ticketing affordable, enable a safe experience for fans

from across the world and vigorously provide the corporate

environment needed for the Olympic Family to thrive and

operate effectively.

- Finally, we will return the Olympic Movement to its roots.

Away from grand buildings, favouring compact and state-

of-the-art architecture. We will put the athletes and

enthusiastic sports fans at the heart of our Olympic Games

– emphasizing the sporting excellence, transparent

ticketing and an integrated team for volunteering

1.5. Compact Games for Two Weeks, a Legacy for Generations

The 2024 Olympic Summer Games will be held in the centre of New

Delhi, in a purpose-built Olympic Park. The Olympic Park will be

built in the area between the DND Flyover and Vikas Marg,

encompassing 800 hectares at the banks of the Yamuna River. The

necessary compulsory purchase orders have already been

authorized by the Olympic Games Act, 2015.

� All competition venues will be reachable within a 10 km

radius of each other. The Olympic Park and the City Zone

will be the two areas of Olympic competition during Delhi

2024.

� The Olympic Park will be conveniently connected to the

rest of New Delhi, including the city centre via existing lines

“Concession

pricing will be

regulated to enable

working families to

enjoy the wonder that

will be the Delhi

Games.“

“We will live up to

the promise to rally

and unite a new

generation of young

children who will be

our future

Olympians, across

the world“

Page 6: Delhi 2024

of the Delhi Metro

� Another aspect of Delhi 2024 will be a modern state-of-the-

art Olympic Village, which will set the highest standards of

sustainability in the usage of building materials, facilities and on-

time delivery. It is envisaged that the Olympic Village will be

completed by June 2023. It will be able to house 18,500 athletes,

officials and referees.

� Delhi 2024 will also make use of existing venues, such as the

Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the Talkatora Stadium, the Indoor

Stadium and many more – all of these venues were successfully

used during the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

� Further, Delhi 2024 will be a people’s Olympics. Live sites

will be set up at 40 venues in Delhi, joined by a further 50

metropolitan areas to form the Olympic Live Sites Network.

Concession pricing will be regulated to enable working families to

enjoy the wonder that will be Games of the XXXIII Olympiad.

“All competition

venues will be

reachable within a

10 km radius of

each other“

Page 7: Delhi 2024

Artist’s impression of the Olympic Stadium in the New Delhi

Olympic Park

Sport and Venues

2.1. Sport Experience

Delhi possesses a degree of experience when it comes to

hosting international sporting events, representing a good

foundation upon which the planning and smooth execution

of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games can be built.

These include the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the 1951

and 1982 Asian Games, the 2010 Hockey World Cup, the

2011 Cricket World Cup, the 2012 South Asian Games, the

2011 Formula 1 Indian Grand Prix and the Delhi Half-

Marathon.

2.2. Venues

NEW DELHI OLYMPIC PARK

The heart of Delhi 2024 will be the New Delhi Olympic Park,

located at the banks of the Yamuna River. The Park will

feature multiple venues, a dedicated medical centre, a lake,

three playgrounds for children and an Olympic Plaza.

Clockwise from left: Aquatic Centre, Delhi Sports Arena and

Yamuna River, which will become home to the Maritime

Complex during the Olympic Games

“The heart of Delhi

2024 will be the

Olympic Park,

located at the

banks of the

Yamuna River”

Page 8: Delhi 2024

It will consist of the following venues

� Olympic Stadium: The venue for the Opening and

Closing Ceremonies, the track-and-field events and the Rugby

Sevens competitions (100,000 spectators).

� Aquatics Centre: Hosting the swimming and diving

competitions, the Aquatics Centre will play host to capacity crowds

(40,000 spectators).

� Delhi Sports Arena: The multidiscplinary venue of

the Delhi 2024, to host basketball, volleyball, gymnastics,

weightlifting and badminton (100,000 spectators).

� Equestrian Park: Delhi will host all equestrian

competitions, as well as the modern pentathlon.

� Maritime Complex: This part of the Olympic Park, in

the south of the area, will host all water sports: canoeing, open-

water rafting, sailing and rowing. A dedicated section will also play

host to the beach volleyball tournament.

CITY ZONE

The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, one of the key venues during the 2024

Summer Olympic Games in New Delhi. To the right, the Delhi

Velodrome which will be re-used during for Delhi 2024.

Beside the Olympic Park, Delhi 2024 will be based in the City Zone:

� Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium: The principal venue of the 2010

Commonwealth Games and the 1982 Asian Games will play host to

the finishes of the marathon race, the 20km and 10 km races, the

men’s/women’s football tournament (quarterfinals, semifinals and

final) and the lacrosse preliminaries.

� R.K. Khanna Tennis Complex: The complex which hosted the

tennis tournament of the 2010 Commonwealth Games will be

refurbished and extended to host spectators of 30,000 guests.

� Delhi Velodrome: Built for the 2010 Commonwealth Games,

this venue will once again be host to world-class cycling.

“Built for the

2010

Commonwealth

Games, the

Velodrome will

once again be host

to world-class

cycling“

Page 9: Delhi 2024

� Delhi Golf Club: The oldest golf course in the country, on

220 acres, will host the Olympic golf tournament.

� City Centre: New Delhi’s historic city centre, built during the

Medieval and Colonial Eras would be the centrepiece of

events like the marathon, the long-distance running and

walking competitions, the triathlon, the cycling time trial

competitions. The world will be witness to beautiful sights,

green spaces and historical monuments, as our athletes will

explore the wonder that is New Delhi. Normal traffic will be

fully suspended in the run-up and the implementation of

these events. The parks outside India Gate will host the

archery competition.

2.3. Non-Competition Venues

Moreover, certain venues will be central to the success of Delhi

2024, even though they are not competition venues for the

purposes of the Summer Olympic Games.

� Olympic Village: The Olympic Village will house 18,500

athletes, officials and referees. It will be financed from

private sector contributions, revenues generated by the

nationwide Olympic Lottery and a grant by the

Government of India. After the Games, the Village will

become the venue for affordable housing, to which

Delhiites of weak economic means will have first access.

The new residential colony will be equipped with state-of-

the-art facilities like primary and secondary schools,

playgrounds, a post office, a community medical centre and

an entertainment district.

� Olympic Plaza: At the very centre of the Olympic Park, the

Olympic Plaza will contain a live site capable of hosting

200,000 self-contained visitors who don’t have paying

access to any of the ticketed areas of the Olympic Park. The

Olympic Plaza will be a meeting point for sports spectators,

from all nations, to share the once-in-a-lifetime experience

of the first Olympic Games in India. Following the role

model set by the Winter Games, all non-athletics medal

ceremonies will take place on each of the 16 evenings of

Olympic competition, in front of a crowd of hundreds of

thousands. The plaza will feature concerts by international

and Indian artists, thus making it a hub of cultural activity

during the Games.

� IBC: The International Broadcasting Centre will be set up in

the midst of the Olympic Park. It will provide state-of-the-

art communications facilities for international and domestic

journalists to do their work, including access to high-speed

broadband internet access and 2 dedicated studios for

impromptu broadcasts. The Olympic Broadcasting Services

will also have their seat in the IBC. After the Olympic

Games, the IBC will transformed into the centrepiece of the

”Delhi Media and Culture Complex”, offering a new, low-tax

site for media and culture professionals in the Park.

“The world will be

witness to beautiful

sights, green

spaces and

historical

monuments, as our

athletes will explore

the wonder that is

New Delhi”

“The Olympic Park

which will be

landscaped in an

unexplored area of

New Delhi, will

continue to be a

beating heart of

New Delhi well

after the Olympic

Games“

Page 10: Delhi 2024

2.4. The Future of the Olympic Park

The Olympic Park which will be landscaped in an unexplored area of

New Delhi, will continue to be a beating heart of New Delhi well

after the Olympic Games. The Park’s pedestrian pathways will be

expanded, new trees will be planted and the Olympic Lake will be

retained. After the Games, it will be renamed the “Rakesh Sharma

Olympic Park”, after the first Indian astronaut in space.

Following the Games, the Park will be declared a national

monument with protected legal status. A hybrid corporation will

ensure the adherence to environmental standards and full-scale

maintenance of the facilities. A “Rakesh Sharma Park Corporation”

consisting of statutory representatives of the federal and state

governments (in an advisory function and for coordination

purposes), the business sector and civil society organizations will

ensure the administration of the Park. The Indian Olympic

Association and the new Indian Institute for Sport will take their

seats in the Park, as will the Ministry of Sports. Levels of funding

will be guaranteed for 25 years after the end of the Games by the

Central Government and private donors, as well as the Olympic

Lottery (which will be renamed the National Lottery).

The idealistic heart of the Olympic Movement will continue to beat

in the Park: An Olympic Museum will attract additional visitors.

Further, an Olympic School will be founded, incorporating a

curriculum very much tilted towards the sports (especially athletics,

badminton and squash). Preferred admission will be given to

children from poor families. Consequently, the Olympic Movement

will continue to make a difference in people’s lives – long after the

Olympic Flame has been extinguished on 13 October 2024.

Delhi will continue to host events in all types of sports, and will

submit systematically planned bids for athletics, volleyball, tennis,

basketball, hockey and rowing world championships to be held

between 2025 and 2035.

Artistic impression of the Olympic Lake area after the Olympic Games

“The Olympic Park

will continue to be a

beating heart of

New Delhi well

after the Olympic

Games”

“The Olympic Park

which will be

landscaped in an

unexplored area of

New Delhi, will

continue to be a

beating heart of

New Delhi well

after the Olympic

Games“

Page 11: Delhi 2024

Terminal 3 of Indira Gandhi International Airport, shortly before

completion

Transport

3.1. Concept

The transportation concept of Delhi 2024 is built upon a horizontal

integration of all modes of transport (air, bus, car and metro). We

will make Delhi 2024 an example for effective transportation

throughout the world. The primary goal of the concept is for 1)

athletes and officials to easily reach the Olympic Park, 2) visitors to

reach the Olympic competition venues smoothly and 3) for the Host

Community to benefit from the staging of the Olympic Games.

3.2. Airport

The Indira Gandhi International Airport is the premier airport of

India. By 2024, it will have the capacity to handle up to 80 million

passengers a year. By 2030, this number will have been expanded to

100 million passengers a year. Even at this stage, the airport directly

serves all major capitals in the world.

The airport is located approximately 25 kilometres from the city

centre of New Delhi and 35 kilometres from the Olympic Park. The

Olympic Route Network will endeavour to keep travel times well

below 35 minutes to the Olympic Park. In addition, the airport is

connected to the city centre via the Metro Express Line, cutting

travelling time to 18 minutes.

“Delhi already has the right foundations to provide for the traffic needs of the Olympic Family and our visitors from abroad.”

Page 12: Delhi 2024

3.3. Metro and Buses

The Delhi Metro was inaugurated on Christmas Day 2002, serving 2

million passengers a day in 142 stations across the National Capital

Region, stretching across 193 kilometres. It proved its mettle during

the 2010 Commonwealth Games and will be well-equipped to do so

for the greatest international sporting event. The Metro will serve

the northern and southern ends of the Olympic Park and has

dozens of stations serving the competition venues in the centre of

New Delhi (see Metro Map in the Annex).

Buses make up another environment-friendly alternative in Delhi

and will complement the Metro network by means of a Bus Rapid

Transit corridor.

3.4. Roads and highways

Further, the Delhi road network encompasses 1922.32 kilometres of

length, with the city being served by five national highways. Upon

award of the Delhi 2024 Games, the Central and State governments

have committed themselves to an extensive programme of road

modernization to be completed by January 2023.

This programme is particularly intended to modernize major

arteries in New Delhi, expand existing highway lanes and provide

further road connections to the Olympic Park. Moreover, to reduce

any challenges of road congestion, the Olympic Games Act already

gives the State Government the authority to decommission every

car for up to a week during the Olympic Games.

As a further measure to regulate road traffic, a special Olympic

Congestion Charge will be charged for entry of cars in a radius of 25

kilometres within the Olympic Park.

3.5. Olympic Route Network

Delhi 2024 will bring an Olympic Route Network into existence,

covering approximately 300 kilometres of roads in New Delhi. The

principal routes served will be:

- Indira Gandhi Airport to Olympic Park

- Indira Gandhi Airport to Olympic Family Hotels

- Indira Gandhi Airport to Race Course Road, Raisana Hill and

- Central Secretariat (seats of government)

- Olympic Park to the seats of government

Detailed plans of action will be taken for days such as the arrivals of

the athletes, the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, as well as the

departure of the athletes. An amendment to the Olympic Games

Act will provide for the summer holidays to be shortened by 17 days

and for that portion to be shifted into the Games period, thus

creating an Olympic Holiday. This will have the advantage of

involving children from the host community and relieving stress on

transport as well. The days of the Opening and the Closing

Ceremony will be designated as official holidays in the State of

Delhi, thus making it a day off for the city. These measures will

effectively address any challenges the Olympic Games may present

in terms of traffic management in Delhi and the Capital Region.

“The days of the Opening and the Closing Ceremony will be designated as official holidays in the State of Delhi, thus making it a day off for the city.”

Page 13: Delhi 2024

Rashtrapati Bhavan, the seat of the President of India

Public Support, Financing and Safety

4.1. Political Structure

India is a parliamentary federal republic consisting of 28 states and

6 Union territories. The State of Delhi, in which the Olympic Games

are to be held, has been designated by legislation as an Union

Territory and National Capital Territory with an own Legislative

Assembly and limited self-government. India’s federal parliament

consists of two chambers, the Lower House and the Upper House.

The Lower House is elected every 5 years by the people of India.

The President (elected indirectly by an Electoral College from the

federal and state parliaments) serves as the representative head of

state of the country. The executive is de facto led by the Prime

Minister, formally appointed by the President upon forming a stable

government with sufficient parliamentary support. Executive power

is vested in the Union Cabinet.

The current Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition, as well as

the Chief Minister of Delhi and the Leader of the Opposition in the

Legislative Assembly of Delhi are on record as supporting the bid –

all parties back the bid, with there being no meaningful opposition

to the bid in Delhi or the remainder of India. All 28 Chief Ministers in

India have expressed their support for the Games to be held in

Delhi. The next federal election is scheduled for 2014. Even a

change of government is highly unlikely to result in a disruption of

this bid.

The current cabinet approved a formal guarantee requested by the

International Olympic Committee, underwriting any shortfall the

operating budget of a putative Delhi Organising Committee for the

Olympic Games might incur. Parliament passed the Olympic Games

Act in 2015, in preparation for this bid. It sets out detailed

regulation and protections for the intellectual property rights of the

Olympic Movement, whilst providing for contingency powers for

federal and state governments on a variety of areas.

“In opinion polls,

91% of Delhi

citizens and 88%

of Indians back

Delhi’s candidacy”

Page 14: Delhi 2024

4.2. Public Polling

The Olympic Games bid by Delhi 2024 enjoys broad public support:

In opinion polls, 91% of Delhi citizens and 88% of Indians back

Delhi’s candidacy. There is no organized opposition to the bid.

4.3. Financing

The infrastructure underpinning the Olympic Games will be

financed by federal and state governments (in parity). Support for

the Olympic Village will be provided by the Olympic Lottery, the

federal government and corporate donors. Keeping in line with past

experiences, it is projected that the current budget of $USD20

billion is not going to be exceeded.

“Keeping in line with

past experiences, it

is projected that the

current budget of

$USD20

billion is not going

to be exceeded”

Page 15: Delhi 2024

The Indian Team at the 2010 Commonwealth Games entering the

Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi

Ceremonies and Protocol

Opening Ceremony

The Opening Ceremony of the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad will

take place on the evening of Saturday, 28 September 2024,

beginning at 19:30 New Delhi time (GMT+4:30), at the Olympic

Stadium of the new Olympic Park. The gates of the Olympic Park

will open at 17:00.

After the arrival of all ticketholders and official guests, the

President of India will be received at the entrance to the

Presidential Box by the President of the International Olympic

Committee. Upon the playing of the Olympic fanfare, the flag of

India will be carried into the Olympic Stadium by representatives of

the four branches of the Armed Forces: the Army, Navy, Air Force

and Coast Guard. A guard of honour will then raise the Indian flag

on the lower of the two flagpoles placed at the north end of the

Olympic Stadium (near the Presidential Box).

The cultural section of the Ceremony is scheduled to last 2 hours. It

will chart India’s history as a civilization stretching from ancient

times to the Colonial Era to modern India. In doing so, it will place

special emphasis on three overarching values: nature, knowledge

and harmony. India’s achievements since its independence in 1947

will be given particular prominence. The sections will be named:

- Ancient Times

- Long Walk to Freedom

- Inspiration to the World

“Inspiration to the World” will honour Indian sportsmen who have

excelled in the Olympic Games, focusing on individual athletes –

“The Ceremony will

place special

emphasis on three

overarching values:

nature, knowledge

and harmony.

Page 16: Delhi 2024

and celebrate India’s achievements on the world stage. Classical

and contemporary Indian music will be given its due, but the

ceremony will remain a rather formal affair.

After the completion of the cultural section, the Parade of Nations

will take place. For reasons of time, it is suggested that only

athletes and one representative of the officials be permitted to

partake in the Parade. Announcements during the entire Ceremony

will take place in French, English and Hindi. The nations will march

in the English alphabetical order. As is customary, the Parade will

begin with the Greek delegation and finish with the Indian Olympic

team walking into the Olympic Stadium. A mixture of international

and domestic songs will be played, some typical of the nation

marching. The Greek delegation will walk in to the chimes of the

Syrtaki from “Zorba the Greek”, with the Australian team being

greeted by “Waltzing Matilda”, the German team by “Dieser Weg”

and the Indian team entering the Olympic Stadium to A.R.

Rahman’s “Vande Mataram”. Indian and Olympic flags will have

been distributed amongst the spectators.

After the speeches by the President of the Delhi Committee for the

Olympic Games and the IOC, the President of India will open the

Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, with firework erupting and a chorus

performing “Ode to Joy” by Beethoven. Afterwards, a group of 10

famous sportspersons from or with a direct connection to India will

be welcomed to the Olympic Stadium, carrying the Olympic Flag to

the higher flagpole. The flag will then be taken by another military

honour guard, who will then raise the flag to the strains of the

Olympic Hymn – performed in Greek and Hindi by a group of Indian

and Greek schoolchildren, respectively. The official oaths will then

be taken, leading towards the culmination of the evening - the

lighting of the Olympic cauldron.

At this time, Delhi 2024 favours an Olympic cauldron high atop the

southern end of the Olympic Stadium (with provision being made

for such a cauldron). The cauldron itself will be a simple structure,

similar to its predecessor in Sydney 2000. The torch will be carried

into the stadium by a prominent representative of the 2020 Host

Country, thus emphasizing the handover to India. The Flame will

then be handed over to Indian sporting legends, who will do a full

lap of the Stadium, then handing over the flame to India’s first gold

medallist, Abhinav Bindhra, who would then run up the steps of the

South Stand to light the cauldron.

The Opening Ceremony would end with a massive fireworks display

high above the Olympic Park and the centre of New Delhi.

Closing Ceremony

The Closing Ceremony will take place on Sunday, 13 October 2024

at the Olympic Stadium. It will begin at 17:30 New Delhi time (+4:30

GMT). It is scheduled to last exactly 1.5 hours. Its scope will be

radically reduced as compared to previous Closing Ceremonies. To

save time, the athletes will take their place on the centre field by

16:45.

“The cauldron itself

will be a simple

structure”

Page 17: Delhi 2024

The Ceremony’s motto will be “A Generation’s Promise”. It will

focus on the salient moments of the Games, celebrating the stars of

the Delhi Games. The President of India will enter the stadium,

together with the IOC President at 17:30, to proceed to the

Presidential Box. After the Olympic fanfare has been played, the

Indian national anthem will be performed by a choir of classical

singers, whilst the Indian flag shall be raised by an honour guard

consisting of representatives from all four branches of the armed

forces.

Subsequently, the President of the IOC and the President of India

will participate in the medals ceremony for the winner of the men’s

marathon, which (to account for better conditions) would have

been completed the night before, by 22:00, New Delhi time. After

the medals ceremony, a video montage will be shown across the

stadium (and on television) celebrating the greatest moments of

the Delhi Games – this will be interspersed by verses from Indian

poetry and literature (ancient, medieval and modern) being read by

known actor Amitabh Bachchan.

Then, one of the emotional highlights of the ceremony: Three

generations of Indians from Delhi and the rest of India – celebrities

and ordinary Indians – will say “Thank You” to the athletes for the

memories, the new friends made and the fulfilment of India’s dream

to host the Games. They will mention the one memory of the

Games that they will treasure. This will be followed by a Volunteers

Ceremony, thanking the volunteers with flowers and the best 5

volunteers (as voted by their peers) with free flight tickets to a

destination, paid for by the DCOG.

This part will be followed by the Handover Ceremony, with the flags

of Greece and the 2028 host country being raised. The Chief

Minister of Delhi will then hand over the Olympic Flag to the IOC

President, who will then hand it over to the Mayor of the 2028 host

city (in what is known as the Antwerp Ceremony). The 2028 Host

City will be given 15 minutes to present its vision of the next

Olympic Games. Subsequent to this, the final musical performance

of the Closing Ceremony will follow, accompanied by a classical

Indian dance.

In a solemn moment, the attendees will then rise for a minute of

silence – to honour the memory of all former Olympians who have

participated in the Olympic Games since 1896. This will be followed

by a rendition of the Olympic Hymn (in Greek, English, French and

Hindi stanzas) by the Olympic Youth Choir, as the Olympic Flag is

lowered and carried out of the Olympic Stadium by Nobel laureates

of Indian origin. The final speeches will be given, in accordance with

the Olympic Charter, by the DCOG President and the President of

the IOC. Shortly after he proclaims the Games of Delhi closed, the

Olympic Cauldron will be extinguished to the sound of a lone

trumpet. This will be followed by a nocturnal flypast of the Indian

Air Force, which will be the cue for the final fireworks display. The

Ceremony will end at approximately 19:00 New Delhi time.

“After the medals

ceremony, a video

montage will be

shown across the

stadium”

Page 18: Delhi 2024

Map 1: The positioning of the Olympic Park, just to the east of the city

centre of New Delhi. The site of the Park is already serviced by six

metro stations and the nearby bus stop at the exhibition grounds

(“Pragati Maidan”) nearby.

Map 2: The Olympic Park would be serviced by the turquoise line, to

the east of the Yamuna River.

Olympic Park

and Metro

Maps