India will be formally approved as hosts of the centenary Commonwealth Games in 2030 next month as the country steps up its ambitions to stage the 2036 Olympics.
Commonwealth Sport says its executive board had recommended Ahmedabad, in the state of Gujarat, as the host city for the 2030 Games ahead of what it called an “ambitious bid” by Nigeria. The decision still needs to be ratified by a general assembly in Glasgow on 26 November, but multiple sources described that process a formality.
The Commonwealth Sport chief executive, Katie Sadleir, said: “Today’s recommendation is strategically important for the future of the Commonwealth Sport movement. It builds on the platform that Glasgow 2026 will provide and sets a clear direction for the years ahead.
“The Centenary Games in 2030 offer an opportunity not just to celebrate 100 years of history, but to demonstrate how the Commonwealth Games can continue to evolve, creating meaningful impact for athletes, communities and nations across the Commonwealth.”
The announcement has far wider implications as Ahmedabad is also where India intends to stage the 2036 Olympics. But its bid for the biggest event in global sport has faced a number of bumps in recent months that have put other contenders – including Qatar, Istanbul and Hungary – on high alert.
Germany and Saudi Arabia are also keen on staging a future Games, although their focus is more on 2040. A British bid for either 2036 or 2040 is highly unlikely, with UK Sport more interested in the possibility of hosting in 2044.
The lack of a heavyweight rival for 2036 has led many insiders to anoint Ahmedabad favourites, especially as Nita Ambani, whose family is the richest in India, is a prominent IOC member.
However, one source said that the Indian bid was given a “wake-up call” by the International Olympic Committee when it visited Lausanne in the summer, with concerns raised about mismanagement and governance issues at the Indian Olympic Association, the lack of detail in the bid and the country’s dismal performance at the Games. Last year in Paris, India’s athletes finished 71st in the medal table with six medals.
India’s doping problems are also a concern to the IOC as it continues to be high on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s watch list, with 260 positive cases of national and international athletes last year. Another setback came when the new IOC president, Kirsty Coventry, paused the host city bidding process in July in response to members’ request to have more involvement in the process.
It had been thought that Ahmedabad would benefit from the same secretive selection policy that led to Brisbane being handed the 2032 Games without a thorough bidding process. However, Coventry has indicated that members will now have a far greater say.
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Two final question marks come from India’s shambolic staging of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, and the lack of crowds for sporting events outside men’s cricket. Planning and then staging a successful multi-event global sports competition, such as the 2030 Commonwealth Games, would certainly help assuage some of those issues and doubts.
The announcement was greeted with joy by Dr P T Usha, who said it would help the country’s stated goal of being fully developed by the centenary of its independence in 2047. “It would be an extraordinary honour for India to host the Centenary Commonwealth Games,” he 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.”
India’s involvement is also a welcome boost to the Commonwealth Games itself, given it faced an existential crisis barely two years ago when Victoria and then the Gold Coast pulled out of staging the 2026 Games due to financial issues. A smaller, semi-skimmed event will be staged in Glasgow next summer, with just 10 sports compared to 22 (including three para-sports) in Birmingham 2022.
