India formally approved to bid for 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad

New Delhi: India’s bid to host the Commonwealth Games in 2030 received the govt’s formal approval on Wednesday. The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the ministry of youth affairs and sports’ submission of the bid and the choice of host city as Ahmedabad, which offers “world-class stadiums, cutting-edge training facilities and a passionate sporting culture.” The Cabinet also sanctioned the signing of the Host Collaboration Agreement (HCA) along with the necessary guarantees from concerned ministries, departments and authorities and the required grant-in-aid to the Gujarat govt, should the bid be accepted. India last hosted the CWG in 2010 in Delhi. “Beyond sports, hosting the CWG in India would leave a lasting impact boosting tourism, creating jobs and inspiring millions of young athletes. Apart from that, a large number of professionals will be getting opportunities in sports science, event operations and management, logistics and transport coordinators, broadcast and media, IT and communications, public relations and communications and in other fields as well,” a govt statement said. “Hosting such a globally prestigious event will foster a strong sense of national pride and unity. It will provide a shared national experience and boost the morale of our nation. It will inspire a new generation of athletes to enter into sports as a career option and encourage greater participation in sports at all levels,” the statement added. TOI had reported earlier this month that field hockey, badminton, table tennis, shooting, wrestling, women’s cricket, squash and archery disciplines will return to the CWG programme if India’s bid to host the multisport event in 2030 is successful. The organisers of the Glasgow 2026 CWG have excluded all these sports from their programme, dealing a major blow to India’s medal prospects at the Games. Indigenous and traditional sports such as yogasana, kho kho and kabaddi will also make their debut at the 2030 Games, with the India edition expected to feature 18–20 events. The government informed that athletes from 72 countries will participate in the CWG. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) will now formally submit the bid to Commonwealth Sport – the Games’ global governing body – before the Aug 31 deadline. An expression of interest (EOI) to host the Games had already been submitted by the IOA. The Commonwealth sport’s general assembly will finalise the host nation in Nov in Glasgow. The organisers of the CWG 2026 have massively scaled down their Games budget. The city, which intends to conduct the entire event within an eight-mile (approx 12km) radius, has kept the budget at a modest £114 million (over Rs 1300 cr). India is also aiming to host the 2036 Olympics and Ahmedabad is a front-runner as the host city.