Ahmedabad Announced Centenary Commonwealth Games' Host

New Delhi: "Moments after Amdavad – officially known as Ahmedabad and located in the state of Gujarat – was unanimously voted as the host city at central Glasgow hotel, 20 Garba dancers and 30 Indian dhol drummers burst into the hall," the BBC report on the announcement for the 2030 Commonwealth Games noted.

The India Cable newsletter has called it a "spectacle of...dizzying self-congratulation" and a furtherance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's plan of transforming India into an advanced nation by 2047, when it will have seen a hundred years of independence. Incidentally, 2030 will be the centenary edition of the Commonwealth Games as well.

At the centre of such plans appears to be the Gujarat city of Ahmedabad, which the Commonwealth Games authorities appear to have spelt "Amdavad" at the request of the Indian government, and where the stadium named after Modi is housed.

The same city is at the centre of India's bid to host the 2036 Olympics.

Delegates of the 74 Commonwealth member nations and territories ratified India’s bid at the Commonwealth Sport General Assembly in Glasgow.

Donald Rukare, president of Commonwealth Sport, said, “India brings scale, youth, ambition, rich culture, enormous sporting passion and relevance, and I'm delighted to report strong interest from a range of nations to host the 2034 Games and beyond."

As host, India can suggest up to two traditional sports to be featured in the competition. The 2030 games are likely to have 15 to 17 sports including athletics, swimming, table tennis, bowls and netball. Twenty20 cricket is on a provisional list.

P.T. Usha, president of the Commonwealth Games Association of India said: “We are deeply honoured by the trust shown by Commonwealth Sport. The 2030 Games will not only celebrate a hundred years of the Commonwealth Movement but also lay the foundation for the next century. It will bring together athletes, communities, and cultures from across the Commonwealth in a spirit of friendship and progress."

In 2023, several top wrestlers of the country staged protracted protests against Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who they accused of sexual harassment and widespread malpractice in running the Wrestling Federation of India. Police detained some of the protesting athletes, leading to a public outcry and the suspension of the WFI. Last year, the BJP fielded Singh's son in the elections from Kaiserganj in the Lok Sabha polls and he won.

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