NEW DELHI: The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Wednesday formally approved the country’s bid to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games during its Special General Meeting (SGM) here, with its top officials saying that India would host an “inclusive” edition featuring all “medal-earning” sports.
India has already submitted an Expression of Interest for the 2030 CWG with Ahmedabad as the proposed host city. However, the nation will have to submit the proposals for the final bid before the 31 August deadline.
IOA President P T Usha said that along with Ahmedabad, the 2010 host Delhi and Bhubaneswar will also be considered.
“I am happy that all are together and it was a unanimous decision and our preparations will go ahead. We can’t just tell whether Ahmedabad is the host city. We have good facilities in Bhubaneswar and even in Delhi also,” Usha said after the SGM, which lasted just over half an hour.
“The 2026 Glasgow CWG is a scaled-down Games because of circumstances. If we get the 2030 CWG, it will be a full-fledged one just like we did in 2010,” she added, referring to the pruned roster of the 2026 Glasgow edition where major sports like hockey, badminton, wrestling and shooting have been left out citing cost factors.
With Canada having pulled out of the race, India’s chances of securing the 2030 CWG have allegedly brightened.
“The plan is to have all our medal-earning sports like shooting, archery, wrestling etc. Our traditional sports like kabaddi and kho kho should also be there,” IOA joint secretary Kalyan Chaubey said.
A team of officials from Commonwealth Sport, led by its Director of Games Darren Hall, recently visited Ahmedabad to inspect the venues and meet Gujarat government officials. A larger delegation from Commonwealth Sport is expected to visit the city later this month.
“The 2030 CWG will be a full-fledged Games. We will have all the sports we are good at and have a chance of winning maximum medals,” said Executive Council member Rohit Rajpal.
“There are three groups of sports. First is the core sports of the Commonwealth Games which are always there, then there are sports which the host nation can choose, and the third one is the additional sports. The 2030 will be an inclusive Games and will feature our traditional and indigenous sports also,” Rajpal added.
The General Assembly of Commonwealth Sport will decide the host country in the last week of November in Glasgow.
India has previously hosted the 2010 edition of the multi-sport event in Delhi.
The SGM was preceded by the Executive Council meeting in the morning.