India, July 3 -- India has made an ambitious pitch to host the 2036 Olympics. With its growing economic clout and status as the country with the world's largest youth population, India holds strategic appeal for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) which continues to focus on engaging younger generations.

As new IOC president Kirsty Coventry took over the reins from Thomas Bach - under whose presidency an IOC session was held in Mumbai and cricket (T20) was included in LA 2028 - India has been quick to seize the opportunity. A high-level delegation visited IOC headquarters in Lausanne this week and initiated the "continuous dialogue" process towards hosting the Games.

The Indian delegation was led by Indian Olympic Association (IOA...