New Delhi: The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has officially decided to bid for the 2030 Commonwealth Games, aiming to host the event in India after a 20-year gap.
The decision was unanimously approved during the IOA’s Special General Meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday. A senior IOA official, speaking anonymously, confirmed that the bid proposal, moved by IOA President PT Usha, received full support from all members.
India had already submitted an expression of interest in March and will now have to submit the official bid before August 31.
However, PT Usha clarified that Ahmedabad is not confirmed as the 2030 CWG host and Bhubaneswar and Delhi are also being considered. “We haven’t finalised Ahmedabad as the host city; Bhubaneswar and Delhi also have excellent facilities,” she was quoted as saying.
IOA CEO Raghuram Iyer echoed the same. “Officially, Ahmedabad is going to apply as the host city and we will see if there is a sport which doesn’t have infrastructure in the city, then we have centres like Bhubaneswar and Delhi to look at. But at the moment, it’s a process where we will be consulting everyone,” her told The Indian Express.
Earlier, Delhi hosted the CWG in 2010 and the Asian Games in 1950 and 1982.
India faces competition from Nigeria and two other countries for the 2030 CWG, with Canada having withdrawn its bid in June. The host will be chosen by the Commonwealth Sport General Assembly in Glasgow in late November. A Commonwealth Sport delegation, led by Director Darren Hall, recently visited Ahmedabad to inspect the venues and meet officials from the Gujarat government. A larger team is expected soon.
The 2030 CWG will mark the 24th edition of the event, which began in 1930 as the British Empire Games.