With an eye on hosting the Olympic Games in 2036, India has formally submitted its bid to conduct the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad, a top sports ministry source said, confirming a move that has been in the making for several weeks.
The last date to submit the 'expression of interest' to host the Games is March 31 and India's letter was sent by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) a few days ago.
Ahmedabad, the city that has been finalised to organise the 2030 CWG should the event come to India, is also the front-runner to be the Olympic host if the 2036 bid is successful. The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), which has re-branded itself as Commonwealth Sport, will now lead an evaluation process and the final appointment of the host will be decided by the CGF General Assembly.
The decision to submit the bid comes after sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya recently asserted that the country was interested in hosting the Games.
India, which last hosted the CWG in 2010, is also aiming to host the 2036 Olympics. The country had also expressed a desire to host all those disciplines that were axed from the 2026 CWG to ensure that its medal tally is not affected when the event is held in Glasgow. However, that proposal was rejected by CGF.
However, the CGF CEO Katie Sadleir was quite open to the idea of India hosting the 2030 CWG and had said that it would be a step in the right direction as the country pursued the ambition of playing host to the 2036 Olympics.
