Ahmedabad has vowed not to make the same mistakes as Delhi in 2010 and to “lay the foundations for the next 100 years” after being confirmed as the host of the 2030 Commonwealth Games.
Organisers said that 15 to 17 sports would feature in 2030 – up from the 10 that will feature in Glasgow next summer – including athletics, swimming, table tennis, bowls and netball. Twenty20 cricket and triathlon are on a provisional list, with the process to determine the final list of sports starting next month.
The Indian city has been selected ahead of a rival bid from Abuja in Nigeria and was given final approval at Commonwealth Sport’s general assembly in Glasgow on Wednesday .
With India heavily targeting the 2036 Summer Olympics, organisers were keen to stress the Commonwealth Games in the state of Gujarat would prove they could organise a large multi-sport event without any hiccups.
That pledge came after a question about the Delhi Games in 2010, which were subject to numerous negative headlines and not only about poor ticket sales and venues that were finished at the last minute. The Commonwealth movement was shaken by Victoria’s decision to withdraw as host of next year’s Games in 2023, with Glasgow stepping in.
There was also an official complaint about water in the swimming pool so murky that left swimmers struggling to see, a malfunctioning security barrier that speared the car of Uganda’s chef de mission and left him in hospital, and even cobras in the athletes’ village.
Shri Ashwini Kumar, Gujarat’s principal sports secretary, accepted the 2010 Games had faced “some challenges”, but he insisted this time the organisers were ahead of schedule.
“The 2010 Games were one of the best Games that were hosted,” he said. “But there were some challenges. This time, we are well prepared. The organising committee is going to be established within a month or so and our fundamentals are very strong.
“Most of the venues are already ready. The funding has been secured. The budgets have been very meticulously worked out. And we are very confident that we will deliver a Games which you will remember in years to come.”
That message was echoed by the president of the Commonwealth Games Association of India, Dr PT Usha, who pledged India would deliver a “strong, inclusive, future-ready Commonwealth Games” that “advances the future” of the event.
“The 2030 Games will not only celebrate a hundred years of the Commonwealth movement but also lay the foundation for the next century,” she added. “It will bring together athletes, communities, and cultures from across the Commonwealth in a spirit of friendship and progress.”
