CHENNAI: After the Indian Olympic Association conducted the Special General Meeting to approve the bid process of the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad, the Union Cabinet also put its seal on it. According to a press information bureau statement, "The cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the proposal of the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports for submission of bid for the Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2030."
With this, the Union government's formal engagement with the 2030 CWG has also begun. Apart from the sports ministry, this will also include other ministries that are required to give certain guarantees and sanction funds to the hosting city and state.
The IOA general body, which is also the Commonwealth Games Association of India, will now concentrate on sending a strong bid to the Commonwealth Sports (CS). The last date for them to submit the bid is on August 31. Interestingly, Canada, one of the strong contenders along with India, has withdrawn. Over the last two editions, the CWG has been struggling to find a host because of rising expenditure to host the Games.
"It (Cabinet) also gave its approval to sign the Host Collaboration Agreement (HCA) along with the required Guarantees from concerned (sic) Ministries, Departments and Authorities and sanction of required grant-in-aid to Gujarat Government, in case the bid gets accepted," said the statement.
Though there were speculations on the host city or cities, The New Indian Express had already reported in March that Ahmedabad had been the chosen one. The letter of intent written to the then CS president, Chris Jenkin, had highlighted Ahmedabad's contribution towards hosting major sporting events including the final of the 2023 50-over men's cricket World Cup and the Coldplay concert earlier this year.
The Cabinet also confirmed again that Ahmedabad is an ideal host city offering world class stadiums, cutting-edge training facilities, and a passionate sporting culture. "Narendra Modi Stadium, the largest stadium in the world, has already demonstrated its capability by successfully hosting the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Final," it said. Around 72 countries are expected to participate in the Commonwealth Games.
The Cabinet also said that the CWG will give an opportunity for the country to leave a lasting impact boosting tourism. It also said that this event will give an opportunity to create jobs as well. "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."
Though the government is speaking about boosting tourism, India realized that during the 2010 CWG, there were less visitors than expected or projected. There were widespread corruption charges as well. In terms of competition too, certain nations have an edge over the others. India have said that sports like hockey shooting, wrestling, squash and archery that have been dropped from the 2026 roster in Glasgow, will be back.