All but assured of the hosting rights more than a month ago, India's 2030 Commonwealth Games bid is set to be formally approved on Wednesday at the Commonwealth Sport's general assembly in Glasgow, marking a major milestone in the country's ambitious plan to become a global multi-sport hub.
India last hosted the Games in 2010 in Delhi, but this time, the multi-sport event would be coming to Ahmedabad, a city that has upgraded its sports infrastructure on a war footing in the last one decade.
Wednesday's General Assembly will go through the formality of putting a seal of approval on what has already been recommended by the Commonwealth Sport's Board. That recommendation followed a process overseen by the Commonwealth Sport's Evaluation Committee.
It assessed the candidate cities for "technical delivery, athlete experience, infrastructure, governance and alignment with Commonwealth Sport values". For the 2030 CWG bid, India was facing competition from the Nigerian city of Abuja. But Commonwealth Sport decided to instead consider the African nation for the 2034 edition after developing "a strategy for supporting and accelerating" its hosting ambitions.
"During the Assembly, members from across the Commonwealth will take the final decision regarding the host of the Centenary Commonwealth Games in 2030, following a presentation from India, outlining their vision for the Games in Ahmedabad. The confirmation of the recommendation will be followed by a unique broadcast moment," stated a press note from Commonwealth Sport that gave a lowdown of how the day would pan out in the Scottish capital.
A formal announcement is expected around 6.30 pm (IST) and India is being represented by joint secretary (sports) Kunal, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President P T Usha and Gujarat Sports Minister Harsh Sanghavi, among others.
"The decision will mark a pivotal moment for the future of the Commonwealth Sport Movement, and a significant chapter in its 100-year history," Commonwealth Sport added.
India had spent close to Rs 70,000 crore to host the 2010 edition of the Games, far exceeding the initial estimate of Rs 1,600 crore. The quadrennial event, which has been struggling to stay relevant and find willing hosts for a while, features athletes from 72 countries, a majority of them former British colonies.
Getting the Games' hosting rights would be a significant milestone in India's quest to become an Olympic host in 2036, also proposed to be conducted in Ahmedabad.
Interim President of Commonwealth Sport, Dr Donald Rukare, had said that the Executive Board found proposals from both India and Nigeria "inspiring", but ultimately chose Ahmedabad for 2030. In recent months, Ahmedabad hosted the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships, the Asian Aquatics Championships and football's AFC Under-17 Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers. Next year, it would be hosting the Asian Weightlifting Championship, and Asia Para-Archery Cup.
The Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave is one of the prime venues that is currently under development and apart from the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium, which has a capacity of over 1 lakh, it is designed to house an aquatics centre and a football stadium, along with two arenas for indoor sports. An athletes village that can house 3,000 will also be built inside this complex.
Also read: India presents proposal to host 2030 Commonwealth Games
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