Jay Shah Lays Down 2036 Olympic Medal Marker For India: 'We Must Target At Least...'

International Cricket Council chairman Jay Shah has stated that although Prime Minister Narendra Modi has brought the 2030 Commonwealth Games home, India should also aim to host the 2036 Olympics. If India were to host the Olympics, athletes should target at least 100 medals, Shah said.

Speaking at an event in Surat, the former BCCI president said that he was confident that India wouldn’t only host the Commonwealth Games in 2030 but also bag the rights to stage the Olympics six years later.

Shah credited Modi with bringing the Commonwealth Games back to India, marking the country’s first hosting of the event in two decades. He said that the Games should be viewed as a stepping stone rather than an endpoint, requesting India to think bigger in its

sporting ambitions.

“The Prime Minister has brought the Commonwealth Games to India in 2030, but we shouldn’t stop there. We must also bring the Olympics to India in 2036. In the 2024 Olympics, we won eight medals, but that will not be enough in 2036,” Shah said while speaking to the media.

#WATCH | Surat, Gujarat | ICC Chairman Jay Shah says, “The Prime Minister has brought the Commonwealth Games to India in 2030, but we shouldn’t stop there. We must also bring the Olympics here in 2036. We won eight medals in the 2024 Olympics, but I want to tell you all that… https://t.co/Brh0vtq73s pic.twitter.com/aKfGCHjBjX

— ANI (@ANI) January 4, 2026

“We must target at least 100 medals. Out of those 100, at least 10 should come from Gujarat. I have full faith in that,” Shah said.

During his speech, the former BCCI president claimed that India had won eight medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, the actual tally was six, with India finishing 71st on the medal table in a campaign defined by multiple near-podium misses.

The scale of Shah’s target underscores the enormity of the task ahead. India sent a contingent of 117 athletes to the Paris Games, including those competing in team sports.