With CWG 2030 on the horizon, how Ahmedabad is shaping up as the sports infrastructure capital of India

In October, Ahmedabad was recommended as the “proposed host” of the CWG 2030 by the executive board of Commonwealth Sport. The city is also central to India's 2036 Olympics bid.

The aquatic stadium at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Naranpura. (Credit: Express Photo)

Earlier this year, India won 13 medals at the Asian Aquatics Championships, the country’s best-ever tally, fto finish 11th on the standings while China expectedly dominated with 54 medals, including 40 gold. The Championships, held at the aquatic stadium of the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Naranpura, Ahmedabad, was one of the international events lined up ahead of the 2030 Commonwealth Games set to be hosted by the state capital. Apart from home advantage, India’s swimmers benefitted from a month-long camp at a newly-built Olympic-standard pool within the 20-acre sports complex with 18 sports facilities.

In October, Ahmedabad was recommended as the “proposed host” of the CWG 2030 by the executive board of Commonwealth Sport.

Sajan Prakash, who won two medals at the Asian championships, a silver and a bronze, says getting acclimated to the pool was an advantage. “The Myrtha pool is designed in such a way that it reduces resistance. It is good for competitions for high-level swimmers. This (pool) is the most high-tech pool, so it is a blessing for us. Training at this pool for a month was a big advantage for our team,” Prakash said.

Former Olympian swimmer Hakimuddin Habibulla, a director of Myrtha Pools (India), highlights one of the factors that makes this pool ‘fast’. “When we designed the pool, we used computational fluid dynamics to see how the water flows into the pool, first from a hygiene and safety perspective, and then how, during competition, there should be zero turbulence on the surface. So we have special wall inlets, they are designed in such a way that they will not affect the turbulence of the surface,” Habibulla said.

A gymnasium at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Naranpura (Credit: Express Photo)

The pool at the aquatic centre is the jewel in the crown of the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex, which also comprises an indoor multi-sports arena, a community sports centre, a Fit India Zone and a Centre for Sports Excellence, which will be run by the Sports Authority of India.

Built at a cost of Rs 820 crores, the sports complex in Naranpura is proposed as one of the venues for the 2030 Commonwealth Games, along with the under-construction Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave, which will also house the existing Narendra Modi cricket stadium. Before hosting the Asian Aquatics Championships in September, the sports complex was the venue of the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in August. Next on the list is the 2026 Asian Weightlifting Championships.

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“The Veer Savarkar Sports Complex happened (was built) in three years. The sports complex was created with a vision to have the world of sports coming to Ahmedabad. The World Police and Fire Games (2029) have also been allotted to Ahmedabad in which 10,000 sportspersons will participate… it is almost equal to the Commonwealth Games,” Banchhanidhi Pani, Municipal Commissioner, Ahmedabad, said.

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Talking about why Ahmedabad was chosen as the city to host the Commonwealth Games, Ashwini Kumar, principal secretary, Sports, Youth & Cultural Activities Department, said, “Somebody has to take the lead. Ahmedabad already had the world’s biggest cricket stadium. There is an ecosystem. We have hosted successful World Cup (cricket) matches, successful IPL matches, we have seen footfall of more than 100,000 during IPL matches, during the World Cup final, the India versus Pakistan match and Coldplay concert on two successive nights. The vision that has been given by our political leaders is to make the city the sports capital of the country. So Ahmedabad took the lead and said we would like to host the Commonwealth Games in 2030. Ahmedabad has also been proposed as the host city for the Olympics in 2036,” Kumar said.

(The writer was in Ahmedabad on the invitation of the Gujarat Sports Infrastructure Development Company Limited)