India – specifically the city of Ahmedabad – will stage the 2030 Commonwealth Games, the centenary edition of that multi-sport event, it has been announced today.
The executive board of the Commonwealth Sport organization has said it will recommend Ahmedabad (which it is referring to as Amdavad), as the proposed city for those games. This will mark the second time the multi-sport event takes place in India, after Delhi 2010 (which was marred by construction delays and allegations of corruption and mismanagement).
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Ahmedabad, located in the west of India, has been chosen as the recommended destination ahead of the Nigerian city of Abuja, by a Commonwealth Sport evaluation commission.
The Indian city is already planning on bidding for the 2036 Summer Olympic Games, and contains the Narendra Modi Stadium, claimed to be the largest sports stadium in the world, which boasts a capacity of 132,000.
The final decision on hosting the games there is expected to be ratified at the next Commonwealth Sport general assembly, in Glasgow, Scotland, on November 26.
Abuja, meanwhile, will be considered as an option for the 2034 Commonwealth Games, Commonwealth Sport has said, with that body commenting that it has a "strategic commitment to secure the future Games pipeline and to host a Games in Africa."
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By GlobalDataThat continent has, as yet, never hosted a Commonwealth Games – the South African city of Durban was originally meant to stage the 2022 edition, only to pull out for financial reasons. It was subsequently replaced by Birmingham, England.
This was followed, in the build-up to the 2026 edition, by the Australian state of Victoria pulling out of hosting that games – again over financial concerns. Glasgow then stepped in.
India and Nigeria were the only two countries to apply for hosting rights to the 2030 event in advance of the August 31 deadline.
A noticeable absence from the bidding announcement was Canada, which hosted the first Commonwealth Games in 1930 in Hamilton. A multi-province bid was expected to be put forward by the country; however, it collapsed after Ontario, the province of Hamilton, backed out over financial concerns in June.
New Zealand had also expressed interest in hosting earlier this year, but later confirmed its target year would be 2034 or later.
Now, P.T. Usha, president of the Commonwealth Games Association of India, has said: "It would be an extraordinary honour for India to host the Centenary Commonwealth Games in Amdavad …
"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.”
Donald Rukare, Commonwealth Sport's interim president, added: "The executive board has carefully considered the evaluation committee’s findings and is recommending Amdavad to our membership. This is a significant milestone for the movement as we look to our Centenary Games, and we now look ahead to the general assembly in Glasgow, where our members will make the final decision.”
To increase interest in staging the multi-sport event, Commonwealth Sport announced a revamped host selection process earlier this year for the 2030 Commonwealth Games, emphasizing increased collaboration, reduced hosting costs, and more flexibility.
As such, Glasgow will host a scaled-down version of the games, with only a 10-sport program.
Indian officials have already stated that they will organize a full slate of events and use the games as a stepping stone to bid for the 2036 Olympic Games.
