Sachin IOC 2023

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Saturday morning brought a piece of great news for Indian sports fans as the country won the hosting rights for International Olympics Committee Session in 2023. The Indian delegation comprising Nita Ambani (the first woman to be elected as an IOC member from India), Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President Narinder Batra, Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur, and India's first individual Olympic gold medallist (Beijing 2008, shooting) Abhinav Bindra, made a compelling pitch during the 139th IOC Session held alongside the ongoing Winter Olympics in Beijing.

As a result, out of 82 nations eligible for voting, 75 voted in their favor while 6 abstained from giving an opinion, with only 1 vote coming against the decision. With India winning the bid, every citizen of the country was elated including cricket maestro Sachin Tendulkar. The former India great expressed his happiness at the historic moment and hoped for India to host the Olympics one day.

This is a proud moment for India: Sachin Tendulkar

"A healthy nation is a happy nation. Sports play a key role in keeping society healthy, and the Olympics have been at the forefront of sports movements worldwide. It's wonderful to know that Mumbai will be hosting the 2023 IOC session. This is a proud moment for India. Several sportspersons-- past and present--have inspired India's Olympic dreams. Major Dhyanchand, Milkha Singh and others like them made us dream and believe about reaching the pinnacle of the sport. IOC 2023 Mumbai will be a tribute to all their legendary contributions," said Sachin in a statement on Twitter.

"This is just the beginning. There will come a day when India will host the Olympics. Hearty congratulations to the efforts of @WeAreTeamIndia - Nita Ambani, Abhinav Bindra, Anurag Thakur, and Dr Narinder Batra. Their role in fuelling the Olympic movement is commendable," he stated further.

Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah also react

Apart from Sachin, two more cricketers also reacted to the historic achievement by India. India captain Rohit Sharma and pacer Jasprit Bumrah also shared congratulatory messages on social media.

"With India hosting the International Olympic Committee Session in 2023, we just got a step closer to our dream of bringing the Olympics home. A specially proud moment for me as a Mumbaikar as my beloved city hosts this historic event. Congratulations to IOC Member Mrs. Nita Ambani, @official.anuragthakur, IOA President and IOC Member @narinderdhruvbatra @abhinavbindra whose constant support to Indian sport has always inspired each one of us," wrote Rohit Sharma.

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"India is once again scripting Olympic history! Giving us a reason to celebrate, Mumbai will for the first-time ever play host to the IOC Session. Congratulations to Mrs. Nita Ambani and @weareteamindia for leading this incredible result for India," wrote Jasprit Bumrah.

Notably, India will be hosting IOC session for the first time after 1983. The event will happen at the Jio World Centre in Mumbai.