INDIA will bid for the 2030 Commonwealth Games as part of its plans to host the 2036 Olympics, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) said.
“Our preparations will go ahead,” IOA president PT Usha said after a meeting on Wednesday, according to local media.
New Delhi, which hosted the 2010 Commonwealth Games, is being considered as a possible host city. Bhubaneswar in Odisha is also an option, while Indian media reports have suggested Ahmedabad in Gujarat is the frontrunner.
Ahmedabad has a 130,000-seat stadium named after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which hosted the 2023 Cricket World Cup final.
India submitted a letter of intent last year to the International Olympic Committee to host the 2036 Olympics. The country has hosted cricket World Cups and the Asian Games twice and will co-host the Women’s Cricket World Cup in September.
Nigeria and at least two other countries are also interested in hosting the Commonwealth Games. The 2026 edition will be held in Glasgow after the Australian state of Victoria withdrew, citing costs.
India has until the end of August to submit its formal bid. The host city will be decided in November in Glasgow.
If successful, India plans to hold a full-scale event. “We will have all the sports we are good at and have a chance of winning maximum medals,” IOA executive council member Rohit Rajpal told the Times of India. That would include kabaddi and kho kho, which India is pushing to be added to the Olympics.
India has won 10 Olympic gold medals in its history.
