Ahmedabad in India has been elected to host the centenary 2030 Commonwealth Games, Commonwealth Sport (CGF) announced Wednesday from the organization’s General Assembly in Glasgow, Scotland. India had the only remaining candidate after Abuja, Nigeria was dropped from the race last month by the Executive Committee.
The Games will be known as Amdavad 2030 using the locally used Gujarat language for the city name.
It will be India’s second Games in two decades following the 2010 edition held in Delhi that was marred by delays, cost over runs and alleged corruption.
The CGF described the awarding of the centenary Games as a defining point for the organization. India’s delegation was represented by Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha and Gujarat Sports Minister Harsh Sanghavi.
“This is the start of a new golden era for Commonwealth Sport,” President of Commonwealth Sport Donald Rukare said.
“After a ‘Games reset’ we head to Glasgow 2026 in fantastic shape to welcome the 74 teams of the Commonwealth before setting our sights on Amdavad 2030 for a special Centenary edition of the Commonwealth Games.”
Glasgow will host the 2026 edition next summer as a lighter version of the event while only having two years to prepare. The state of Victoria in Australia had signed on to host the Games but later withdrew after costs were predicted to skyrocket. Organizers paid a penalty to the CGF, some of which was offered to Scottish officials as the replacement.
Desperation to site the 2026 Games prompted fears that the quadrennial Games might not survive to see 100 years, but India has promised to stage a full, successful Games in 2030 and hope that they will ignite the growth and success of the event in coming years.
Commonwealth Sport confirmed that 15 to 18 sports will be contested in 2030 with a process to finalize the program starting next month and the final list revealed next year.
Currently be considered are Archery, Badminton, 3×3 Basketball and 3×3 Wheelchair Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Cricket T20, Cycling, Diving, Hockey, Judo, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Rugby Sevens, Shooting, Squash, Triathlon and Para Triathlon and Wrestling. Indian organizers may add up to two additional sports that have a local or cultural interest.
Officials of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) have long described hosting the Commonwealth Games as a critical stepping stone to staging the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2036 and realizing a promise by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “leave no stone unturned” to achieve his nation’s sports objectives. Despite recent reprimands by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on the IOA for poor governance, lackluster athlete performance and doping violations, Ahmedabad remains a leading candidate alongside Doha, Qatar to host the 2036 event.
The Executive Board evaluated the project with what it described as a “detailed process” and an assessment based on “a wide range of criteria” including “technical delivery, athlete experience, infrastructure, governance, and alignment with Commonwealth Sport values.”
India recently approved new sports legislation designed to support and promote success for athletes in major events.
The first-ever Commonwealth Games were held as the British Empire Games in Hamilton, Canada in 1930. The city was given an opportunity to reprise those Games 100 years later but the local bid committee dropped out of contention after the Canadian Province of Ontario denied funding.
Last month’s narrowing of the field marked the second time Abuja was defeated in its Commonwealth Games bid after the Capital lost to Glasgow for the 2014 edition. It eliminates the possibility of Africa hosting its first-ever Games but CGF officials say Abuja will be given special treatment moving forward and could be ready for a future Games.
