Ahmedabad to host 2030 Commonwealth Games: What this means for 2036 Olympics bid

India last hosted the CWG in 2010 in Delhi — an event that was overshadowed by poor planning, delays in infrastructure completion and allegations of corruption.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is overseeing India’s 2036 Olympics bid, called the CWG 2030 decision a “day of immense joy and pride for India”. “Raising world-class infrastructure and raising a nationwide pool of sports talent, (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi ji has made India a marvel of a sports destination,” Shah posted on X.

In a statement, P T Usha, president of the Indian Olympic Association, said the “Games would not only showcase India’s world-class sporting and event capabilities, but also play a meaningful role in our national journey towards Viksit Bharat 2047”. “We see the 2030 Games as a powerful opportunity to inspire our youth, strengthen international partnerships and contribute to a shared future across the Commonwealth,” she said.

Ahmedabad and Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, were the only two candidates to host the event, which has struggled to find takers.

The 2022 edition was originally scheduled to be held at Durban in South Africa, before they pulled out due to financial constraints, forcing Birmingham to step in as a late replacement.

Similarly, the 2026 CWG was to be held at Victoria in Australia. However, they too withdrew, leaving Glasgow — the venue for the 2014 Games — to once again rescue the troubled event. The 2026 CWG will be one of the most watered-down editions due to cost-saving measures, with only 10 sports on its programme.

India, however, saw the Commonwealth Games as an opportunity to prop up its bid for the 2036 Olympics. An IOA official said they aim to use the build-up period to the 2030 CWG to showcase to the sporting world that India can be a “reliable destination”. Incidentally, Ahmedabad’s key competitor in the race for the 2036 Olympics, Doha, will host the Asian Games in 2030.

“We believe the host for the 2036 Olympics will be declared before the 2030 CWG begins. But by building world-class facilities in a timely and transparent manner, we can show the world that we are different, ambitious and more mature now than, say, 15 years ago,” the official said. “We have learnt our lessons from the past.”

The 2030 CWG was one of the many events that India had targeted to gain hosting experience, along with the 2027 women’s volleyball world championship and the 2028 World U20 Athletics Championships, among others. This year, Ahmedabad hosted the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championship and the Asian Swimming Championship at the newly-inaugurated Naranpura Sports Complex.

The complex, built for Rs 825 crore, is likely to be one of the main venues for the 2030 CWG, along with the proposed Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Enclave, which will also house the Narendra Modi Stadium. Unlike the plan for the 2036 Olympics, which involves multiple cities, the 2030 CWG is likely to be held only in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar.

India first proposed to host the 2030 CWG on the sidelines of the National Games opening ceremony in January. A Commonwealth Sport delegation has since made multiple visits to inspect the venues.

Commonwealth Sport said “the recommendation of Amdavad follows a detailed process overseen by the Commonwealth Sport Evaluation Committee, which assessed candidate cities against a wide range of criteria including technical delivery, athlete experience, infrastructure, governance, and alignment with Commonwealth Sport values”.

“India, the most populous nation in the Commonwealth, has a proud sporting history and a strong record of Commonwealth Games success, finishing fourth on the medal table at Birmingham 2022,” the governing body said. “Amdavad’s proposal emphasises India’s commitment to the values of the Commonwealth and its capacity to stage a Games that reflects the scale and diversity of modern sport.”

With 61 medals, including 22 gold, India finished fourth at the 2022 CWG in Birmingham. The country’s tally is likely to see a significant drop next year after the organisers dropped hockey, cricket, wrestling, badminton and table tennis from the programme. Australia are a traditional powerhouse, finishing on top of the overall tally in the last two editions, with England, Canada and New Zealand routinely featuring in the top five.