The chief of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, has stressed that India's case for holding the Olympic Games in 2036 was strong.
"There is a strong case for the reasons I am giving and seeing how India is flourishing and developing, and how India is now embracing Olympic sports. So, there is great potential for both," Bach noted on Sunday.
Significantly, his comments come days after India's Sports Minister Anurag Thakur asserted that New Delhi was planning to make an official bid for the multi-sports event.
"2032 is gone (to Brisbane, Australia), but we will bid for 2036," he said in August.
Notably, the IOC will be holding its session in India's financial capital Mumbai next month, where there is a strong chance of New Delhi submitting an official bid to become the host of the quadrennial sports spectacle in 2036.
On being quipped on the matter, Bach replied by saying that it was a call the Indian officials had to take.
"That's up to India. Here our doors and hearts are wide open," he underlined.