India have a great chance to win medals in golf at 2036 Olympics, says PGTI CEO Amandeep Johl

New Delhi, Nov 29 (IANS) After Aditi Ashok’s fourth-place finish in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, many fans were hoping for a similar performance from the Arjuna Awardee at the 2024 Paris Games but her campaign ended in disappointment. The newly-appointed CEO of Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) Amandeep Johl, who will begin his tenure on January 1, has hailed India’s bid for potentially hosting the 2036 Olympics and believes with the right backing, India has a great chance of producing medals.

“Golf has a huge potential in India because we are playing for the individual medal as well as the team medal in men's and women's. India is qualified for the Olympics but yes infrastructure needs to develop.

"I think if we can broad-base the game for the next 10, 12 years, talent, there is so much talent in this country. Whether it's the girls or the boys, there is no dearth. So hundreds and thousands of juniors are picking up the game. And from all walks of life, you know, from a cross-section of society are playing golf, taking up the game because they feel that this is an individual sport and, you know, there's no team selection in this.

“You shoot the scores and you are rated as per the scores that you shoot. I feel that we have a great chance to produce medals and if golf is an Olympic sport by the 2036 Games, I think we can look at medals whilst playing in India,” Amandeep told IANS.

In a significant step towards India's vision of becoming a sports powerhouse, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) formally sent a Letter of Intent to the Future Host Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on October 1 expressing India's interest to host the Olympics and Paralympics Games in 2036.

PGTI announced the appointment of Amandeep Johl as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in January 2025 earlier. A respected name in Indian golf, Johl brings extensive experience to his new role. The appointment comes alongside another recent significant leadership addition, with the legendary cricketer Kapil Dev assuming the role of PGTI President in June this year. Johl replaced Uttam Singh Mundy.

"It's really a big honour to take over from Uttam Singh Mandi, who is still CEO till 31st of December. I'll be taking over on the 1st of January. But the board and our president Kapil Dev, have reposed some faith in me. Hopefully, I'll be able to deliver.

“At the end of the day, the idea is to create more playing opportunities for our members, better playing conditions, and obviously more prize money. (Uttam Singh) Mundi, Kapil, and the entire board, we've tried and put together a good schedule for the first half. We are trying to go bigger, you know, better tournaments, better golf courses, and different venues. You know, we may have a few different venues, a few new sponsors,” he added.

--IANS

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