NEW DELHI, July 9 (Reuters) - India on Thursday unveiled an ambitious calendar of 29 international events over the next two years as it seeks to strengthen its credentials as a host nation with an eye on winning the bid to stage the 2036 Olympic Games.
The world's most populous country is due to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad and is also bidding to stage both the 2036 Olympics and the 2038 Asian Games in the western Indian city.
Since last year, India has staged 36 international competitions across 15 cities and is on course to host 65 events by 2028 — a target it hopes will demonstrate its capacity to stage multi-sport spectacles on the scale of the Olympics.
"Hosting international competitions has become a key pillar in India's sporting ecosystem," Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said in a statement.
"As we prepare to host CWG 2030, and bid for Olympic 2036, the experience gained from hosting events in 15 cities will help us strengthen our capabilities further."
Mandaviya said hosting events at home had significantly reduced the financial burden of sending athletes overseas, while helping create lasting sporting infrastructure and build technical expertise among officials and volunteers.
India's calendar for this year includes the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships as well as amateur snooker and badminton world championships.
Beyond these events, national sports federations are also bidding to stage continental and world championships as India looks to further strengthen its case as a destination for major international sport, the sports ministry said.
(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Ros Russell)
