Delhi hosted a landmark dialogue on January 30 between International Olympic Academy (IOA) representatives Makis Asimakopoulos and Alexandra Karaiskou and India’s Sports Secretary Hari Ranjan Rao’s team. The visit to the sports authority HQ underscored mutual zeal for Olympic advancement.
The IOA director hailed the Sports Ministry’s pioneering strategy as a game-changer for the Olympic movement. Its detailed vision and execution have profoundly impacted him.
Having surveyed India’s sports landscape, IOA is keen to amplify Olympic values education. Asimakopoulos stressed leveraging expertise to train the ecosystem’s players, instilling Olympic ethos in the nation’s youth.
The parley aimed at cementing ties with IOA, ministry, Indian Olympic body, and revived National Olympic Academy via bespoke initiatives for coaches, scientists, and teachers, revolutionizing sports instruction.
IOA, the pioneering 1961 outfit in Greece’s Olympia, pioneers Olympic scholarship globally, networking national arms—including a renewed Indian one.
Alexandra found the session ‘remarkable,’ impressed by presentations on India’s Commonwealth and 2036 Olympic preparations. She celebrated the academy’s comeback and anticipates teamwork with IOA and Indian authorities.
Rao called it a ‘great success,’ eager to mine IOA’s depths for sports education gains. Under PM Modi’s dynamic push, India’s sports sector surges, demanding Olympic-savvy professionals.
IOA could aid via standardized global programs, skilling hubs in premier institutes, certified admin tracks, expert sessions, shared research, and online tools. India plans a landmark global conclave, cementing its pivotal role.