NEW DELHI, Apr 10: Commonwealth Sport (CS) president Donald Rukare on Friday expressed satisfaction at India’s preparedness for the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad, saying the country “is ready for a grand show” in four years’ time.
A three-member team of Rukare, CEO Katie Sadleir and Director of Games Darren Hall undertook a comprehensive multi-city visit from April 8-10, reviewing key venues and infrastructure across Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Vadodara and Ekta Nagar in Gujarat.
The visit included inspections of competition venues such as Mahatma Mandir, Veer Savarkar Sports Complex, Narendra Modi Stadium and IIT Gandhinagar, as well as meetings with senior government officials and city authorities in Gujarat.
“From what we saw yesterday and the day before, it’s very clear that the facilities that are available, India is ready to put on the show. So we leave with a sense of confidence,” Rukare said in an interaction with the media.
“When the athletes come here in 2030, they are going to have a truly awesome time, not only in terms of the sporting programme, but also the cultural side of it has been amazing so far.”
The high-level delegation did not, however, give a clear picture of the sports programme of the 2030 CWG, through Rukare said there would be 16-17 sports in the roster. He said the full sports programme will be known in the first half of 2027.
“We’re working with the city, the country, our counterparts at Commonwealth Games India (IOA), we’re beginning to co-create the sports programme. It’s very clear that the facilities that are available, Ahmedabad can host a wide range of events.
“Under our reset and refresh agenda, we believe in co-creating a sporting programme, a facility itinerary, which is not predicated primarily on the Games, but predicated on what is the plan, the vision of the city, of the country.”
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 are the confirmed disciplines.
T20 cricket and hockey are expected to be included in the roster given the popularity of the two sports in the country, but the visiting team as well as the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) officials were non-committal .
“Very soon he (Rukare) will announce it. Think positively,” said IOA president PT Usha when asked if India has proposed T20 cricket.
Two sports out of hockey, rugby sevens and T20 cricket are mandatory in the CWG.
Asked if the 2030 CWG will be a multi-city event, Rukare said, “This is something that we are assessing, there are a number of important building blocks that need to be put in place in terms of the local organizing company, looking at a wide range.
“But we believe primary focus of the Games is going to be Ahmedabad, and that’s predicated on the proposal that we received. We should be able to finalise the venue spectrum. But for now, we are looking at Ahmedabad as the kind of nucleus of the Games.
“We are very optimistic that all the venues will be ready on time,” he said when reminded about Gujarat government having said that infrastructure will be ready by late 2028 or early 2029.
He also said that his organisation “would not put the lens to the budget right now”.
The host country or Commonwealth Sport may propose the inclusion of a maximum of two additional sports, including one traditional/indigenous sport.
Yogasana, kabaddi and kho-kho could be in the running for the two slots, though the visiting team and IOA thought it “premature” to reveal it.
“In multi-sport events, in general, it’s about selecting a sport, and then build a venue. But what we’re saying is, what venues do a city have, or what is its vision so that there is a legacy after the Games for those venues, for the good of the citizens,” Hall said.
“And so it’s the budget, reduction in cost of hosting Commonwealth Games was front and centre in our evaluation process. India was very successful in achieving this and scored very heavily (over Nigeria),” he said, referring to how India beat Nigeria to get the 2030 CWG.
Hall said there’s no point in an organisation (Commonwealth Sport) coming to a city or a country and telling to build facilities which will be of no use later on.
“(No point) when we leave, those venues are obsolete or run down, unable to be maintained because there’s no legacy.
“You have got a Police Academy which would be used for the World Police and Fire Games (in 2029), you’ve got 1.4 billion people, a huge police force. Those police forces need to be trained. This is a facility that will be used by the community for 20 or 30 years, a sensible use of public money.”
In order to avoid the challenges faced during the scandal-hit Delhi Commonwealth Games, the 2030 CWG will have a three-tier structure, with the Group of Ministers (made up of central and state ministers) at the top.
“Below the Group of Ministers will be the Board of Directors where state and central bureaucrats, Commonwealth Games of India (IOA) officials will be there,” an official source in the know of things said.
“The lowest level is the Organising Company which will be dissolved one year after the Games. It will be a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) which will actually look after the day-to-day running of the Games.” (PTI)
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