Gujarat’s Ahmedabad will host the 2030 Commonwealth Games. At the General Assembly held in Glasgow, United Kingdom, delegates from 74 Commonwealth countries approved it.
- Gujarat’s Ahmedabad has officially been given the right to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games. This decision was approved by delegates from 74 Commonwealth countries at the General Assembly in Glasgow, United Kingdom. The 2026 CWG will be held in Glasgow, Scotland.
- This has paved the way for hosting the event for the second time, as New Delhi hosted the Games in 2010. This decision has also strengthened the country’s hope of becoming the host of the 2036 Olympics.
Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium
- A 355-acre area near the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (SVP) Sports Enclave, and the Karai Sports Hub in Gandhinagar, with a site area of 143 acres expanded from the reclaimed riverfront, are likely to be the main hubs for the Games. These places will be ready by the end of 2028 or early 2029.
- The governing body of the event, Commonwealth Sport, said that “Ahmedabad 2030 will include 15–17 sports”, which is almost double the eight sports planned for next year’s cost-cutting Glasgow Games.
- Yoga will make its debut as a demonstration sport in the 2026 Asian Games and is trying to become a medal event in the 2030 Asiad.
- Yoga is also one of the sports that India has shortlisted if it wins the hosting rights for the 2036 Olympics, which too would be held in Ahmedabad. Badminton, hockey, wrestling, shooting and T20 cricket – all of which were removed from the 2026 edition – are other sports of India’s interest that may return in 2030.
India’s performance
- In 2010, when India last hosted the Games in New Delhi, the country’s athletes won 101 medals, including 38 gold. In the 2022 Birmingham Games, India won 61 medals, but shooting was not part of the programme.
Commonwealth Games
- The CWG is the second-largest multi-sports event in the world (after the Olympic Games), bringing together athletes from 71 countries and territories and celebrating the diversity and unity of the Commonwealth.
- It was first organized in 1930 in Hamilton, Canada as the British Empire Games. The event was known as the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1954, and since 1978 its name has been changed to the Commonwealth Games.
- These Games are held once every four years and are often called the “Friendly Games”, reflecting the values of humanity, equality and destiny.
‘Commonwealth’
- It is a voluntary association of 56 independent and equal countries, representing a population of about 2.7 billion and based on shared goals of development, democracy and peace.
- Imperial Conference (1926): The United Kingdom and the Dominions agreed to be equal members within the British Empire, maintaining autonomy while being loyal to the monarch.
- London Declaration (1949): Established the modern Commonwealth of Nations, allowing republics and non-British monarchies to join.
- Membership: It consists of 56 independent countries, most of which were formerly British colonies. Its membership is voluntary, and any country may join. Gabon and Togo joined in 2022.
- India and the Commonwealth: India is the largest member of the Commonwealth in terms of population and the fourth-largest financial contributor.
- It has hosted the Commonwealth Summit (1983) and the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi (2010).
