Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 15 : On India's record medal haul at the recent Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, the president of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), Pierre Trochet, said on Sunday the accomplishments at the multilateral event was in line with the country's ambitions on winning more sporting laurels at prestigious events.
On Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement of intent that the country would make all-out efforts to host the 2036 Summer Olympics, Trochet said he was looking forward to a "good dialogue" with the stakeholders domestically.
He added that he would be happy to see India again in the qualifiers for Asia Oceania in a couple of weeks' time in Kuala Lumpur.
Weighing in on the country's spectacular medal haul, its highest-ever at 107, Trochet told ANI, "I think their performance was very much consistent with their ambition and the objectives that they had set out to achieve in the tournament. We have had India as a member of the IFAF for several years. They were a part of the World Championship in Israel in 2021. I'll be happy to see them again in the qualifiers for Asia Oceania in a couple of weeks in Kuala Lumpur. I heard they might even be open to staging an event in this region. So, I am only looking forward to a good dialogue with the stakeholders domestically."
The IFAF was granted full recognition on Sunday, following a proposal mooted by the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in March 2023.
According to an IOC release, IFAF is the international governing body for the sport of American football, including flag football, which is one of the five additional sports for the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 (LA28) proposed by the LA28 Organising Committee and submitted to the IOC Session by the Executive Board.
IFAF was officially formed in 1998 and is responsible for all regulatory, competition, performance and development aspects of American football on a global level.
Currently, the IFAF has 74 affiliated national federations, with an estimated number of almost 5.04 million registered athletes.
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