Sebastian Coe in India for 2036 Olympics talks

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe met Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in New Delhi on Monday and discussed India's intent to host the 2036 Olympics and development of athletics in the country.

Coe later also had an "informal" meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but the details of their interaction are not known, a top Athletics Federation of India said.

He left for Mumbai later in the evening.

Earlier, the 68-year-old former middle distance runner, who won four Olympic medals during his decorated career, was received by Athletics Federation of India head Adille Sumariwalla at Delhi airport in the morning.

The British great is currently in the race to become the next President of the International Olympic Committee and the visit, it is believed, is part of his campaign to drum up support for that.

"Dr. Mandaviya spoke about India's resolve to host a sustainable, inclusive and inspiring Games, and added that the country’s ambition to host Olympics 2036 reflects the widespread support at every level -- government, industry, and society -- for showcasing India's cultural heritage and sporting capabilities on the world stage," read a press release from the Sports Ministry.

The country has moved forward in the process of bidding by submitting a letter of intent to the IOC last month. The host city will be decided only after the IOC elections next year. The body is currently headed by Thomas Bach, is supportive of India's ambitious plan.

Sumariwalla, AFI Secretary General Ravinder Chaudhary and several sports ministry officials were present in the meeting between Coe and Mandaviya.

"These are informal meetings, basically courtesy calls," an AFI source said.

Coe, whose grandfather was Indian (late hotelier Sardari Lal Malhotra), is a popular figure in international sport and created quite a buzz before the Paris Olympics when World Athletics, under him, became the first international federation to announce hefty cash awards for Olympic medal winners.

The AFI, it is learnt, pitched for hosting the 2028 junior World Championships.

In Mumbai, he will meet representatives of Tata Communications. The company was roped in as the host broadcaster for the World Athletics Ultimate Championship, which will be held in 2026 from September 11 to 13 in Budapest.

The event will feature eight and 16 of the world's top-ranked athletes per discipline, with selections based primarily on world rankings.

There will be no cap on how many stars from each country can compete in each event. A total of 16 competitions, including 100 metres, pole vault and 4x100m will be conducted for a total prize pot of US $10 million.

India's athletics scene is not particularly inspiring barring the pioneering performances of two-time Olympic gold-winning javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who is also a World champion.