India to have its first-ever Olympic hospitality house in Paris

NEW DELHI: Indian athletes have often complained about food and lack of homely feeling when they compete in multisport events such as the Olympics, Asian Games or CWG. A case in point is the food issue raised by the country’s contingent during the Youth Olympics in 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina or the two Asiads in Incheon (2014) and Jakarta (2018).
The upcoming Paris Olympics, scheduled from July 26 to August 11, may give the Indian athletes a reason to feel happy about.In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) – led by legendary athlete P T Usha – has decided to host the first-ever ‘India House’ at the Paris Games. The pavilion will showcase the country’s rich cultural heritage, have yoga sessions, medal celebrations, meet-and-greet opportunities with Indian athletes and multi-cuisine Indian restaurants.
Many participating nations at the Olympics have their own hospitality houses but this will be the first time that India will be having one to showcase its culture and heritage. The initiative is a joint collaboration between the IOA and Reliance Foundation – the principal partner of the country’s national Olympic committee (NOC) – which will build the India House.
The hospitality centre will come up at a 40,000 square feet facility near the Games Village, serving as the ‘home away from home’ for the Indian athletes and their families. It’s been learnt that a dedicated section at India House will commemorate the country’s 100-year journey at the Olympics.
Previously, the JSW Group had announced it would set up a first-ever India ‘Hospitality House’ at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. The centre was supposed to come up in Tokyo’s Ariake region. However, the idea was shelved as the entire Games was held in a bio-bubble due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“When we were in Paris last month, we did have an opportunity to go and have a look at the place where the India House is being set up. It’s basically a facility which is not only meant for athletes but also for the Indian diaspora and fans to visit and enjoy the direct feed of matches involving Indian athletes. A lot of cultural activities have been being planned where we will showcase India’s tourism, progress made in digitalisation and cultural activities. There will be a dedicated Indian food section for the country’s athletes and travelling Indian fans and mediapersons. Two restaurants will be set up which will serve food dishes from North and South India,” said IOA president P T Usha.
“There will be yoga sessions every morning for the locals to attend. India House will be surrounded by other country-specific hospitality houses from France, Canada and the Netherlands. We have also planned to showcase mallakhamb sport to the locals, which was a demo sport at the first-ever Olympic Games in 1904,” Usha added.
The facility will be inaugurated on July 28, a day after the opening ceremony on July 26. It’s been learnt that there could be a modification in the name of India House, giving it a more traditional touch.