India to follow Glasgow as host of 2030 Commonwealth Games

INDIA will follow Glasgow as the host of the 2030 Commonwealth Games.

At a meeting of the Commonwealth Sport General Assembly in Glasgow on Wednesday, the city of Amdavad – also known as Ahmedabad – was formally ratified as the host of what will be the centenary Commonwealth Games by delegates of the 74 Commonwealth member nations and territories.

In addition to confirming the hosts for 2030, Commonwealth Sport also confirmed that 15 to 17 sports will feature at Amdavad 2030 instead of the 10 confirmed for Glasgow next year.

Glasgow was confirmed as the host of the Commonwealth Games for 2026 in October last year after the Australian state of Victoria pulled out of hosting, citing costs.

The Scottish city stepped in with a reimagined version of the games at a turbulent time when its future appeared to come into question.

India has vowed build on foundations laid by Glasgow 2026, enabling the country to “celebrate the centenary in style”.

Dr Donald Rukare, president of Commonwealth Sport, said: “This is the start of a new golden era for Commonwealth Sport.

“After a ‘games reset’ we head to Glasgow 2026 in fantastic shape to welcome the 74 teams of the Commonwealth before setting our sights on Amdavad 2030 for a special centenary edition of the Commonwealth Games.

“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.

“We start our next century for the Commonwealth Games in good health.”

As well as confirmation of Amdavad hosting the games in 2030, it has been confirmed Nigeria will be considered as a host for 2034.

The Commonwealth Sport Executive Board agreed to develop a strategy for supporting and accelerating Nigeria’s hosting ambitions for future games, including consideration for 2034.

Indian dancers perform for delegates after Ahmedabad was announced as the host of the 2030 Commonwealth Games (Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire)

Commonwealth Sport’s recently concluded sport programme review outlined the sports which will feature at the Commonwealth Games: athletics and para athletics, swimming and para swimming, table tennis and para table tennis, bowls and para bowls, weightlifting and para powerlifting, artistic gymnastics, netball and boxing.

The other sports under consideration for the 2030 Games are archery, badminton, 3×3 basketball and 3×3 wheelchair basketball, beach volleyball, cricket T20, cycling, diving, hockey, judo, rhythmic gymnastics, rugby sevens, shooting, squash, triathlon and para triathlon and wrestling.

The process to finalise the remainder of the programme will start next month, and the full centenary games line-up will be announced next year.

The host can also propose up to two new or traditional sports.

Dr PT Usha during the host announcement (Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire)

Dr PT 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.”

Moments after Amdavad was announced as hosts of the 2030 Commonwealth Games, 20 Garba dancers and 30 Indian dhol drummers burst into the General Assembly Hall at the Hilton in Glasgow, surprising delegates with a rich cultural performance that provided a taste of the heritage and pride that athletes and fans can expect from a games hosted in the Indian state of Gujarat.

Garba is a dance that originated in Gujarat and the performance featured members of Glasgow’s Indian community, and those from other parts of the Commonwealth.

The first Commonwealth Games were held in 1930 in Hamilton, Canada. Australia topped the medal table at the most recent Games, staged in Birmingham, England, in 2022, with the rest of the top five made up of England, Canada, India and New Zealand.

The games in Glasgow next year will run from July 23 to August 2.

Duncan Scott, multiple Commonwealth champion Scottish swimmer, said: “The Commonwealth Games are a special part of my career. Taking part in a home games is incredible, so I’m excited for Indian athletes who’ll get to do that in 2030.

“And for everyone else we’ve got an opportunity to expand our horizons and experience the ambition and colour of Amdavad and India. I loved the chance to compete in the Gold Coast in Australia as part of a travelling Team Scotland.

“We look forward to handing over the games to Amdavad in great shape after welcoming all to Glasgow next year.”

Indian boxing world champion Jaismine Lamboria added: “It truly is a proud moment to see India become the host of the centenary Commonwealth Games.

“Amdavad will give athletes and fans a very warm and vibrant welcome, and having the opportunity to compete on home soil in 2030 will be a huge motivation for me and for many others. I’m excited for the next decade for Indian sport.”

India to follow Glasgow as host of 2030 Commonwealth Games

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