BJP promises ‘2036 Olympics’ for Thiruvananthapuram in local body polls manifesto

The BJP in Kerala has made an international claim in its manifesto released on Sunday ahead of the upcoming local body polls.

"(We) will request the union government to make Thiruvananthapuram one of the venues for the 2036 Olympics to be held in India," read a key point in the four-page pamphlet released by BJP's state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

The manifesto calls for a change in the Thiruvananthapuram City Corporation, which is ruled by the CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF). The BJP sits in the opposition in the key Corporation in the state capital.

"... through this (getting the Olympics), (the party) will strengthen the sports dreams of the youth in the capital city," the manifesto said. The 'Olympic venue' claim does not feature prominently in the manifesto, but it is mentioned in a section that discusses the changes the party proposes to bring to Thiruvananthapuram by 2030.

Interestingly, though the manifesto declares that the 2036 Olympics is going to happen in India, there has been no official confirmation in this regard, yet. Los Angeles will host the 2028 edition, while Brisbane is confirmed as the venue for the Olympics in 2032. However, the venue of the 2036 Games is yet to be declared.

Ahmedabad in India was recently confirmed as the host city for the 2030 Commonwealth Games. It is no secret that India are one of the strong contenders for the 2036 Olympics, but countries such as Qatar, Istanbul, Hungary, Germany and Saudi Arabia are also, understandably, in the race.