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India has bid to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, submitting an expression of interest on March 13, 2025. The 2026 CWG will be hosted by Glasgow, Scotland, after Victoria, Australia withdrew.
Paris 2024 Closing Ceremony – Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France – August 11, 2024. Flagbearers Manu Bhaker and Sreejesh Parattu Raveendran of India during the closing ceremony. (IMAGE: REUTERS)
Before the 2036 Olympics, India has also made a bid to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has submitted an expression of interest on 13th March 2025 to the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games in India, Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has told Parliament.
India had last hosted the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010. The latest move comes after the IOA has already issued a Letter of Intent on October 1 last year, formally expressing India’s interest to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2036. The Olympics has never been hosted in India.
Earlier, the 2026 Commonwealth Games were to be hosted by Victoria, Australia but the host withdrew from the Games due to various reasons, primarily due to paucity of funds. Thereafter, the CGF found Glasgow, Scotland as the replacement host for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Some of the disciplines have been removed in 2026 CWG which are popular in India like hockey, badminton, wrestling, and shooting. The Sports Minister told Parliament that the change in venue of the 2026 CWG has led to a much-reduced budget, time frame and a reduced sports programme as compared to the previous games, and only 10 games have been selected for the 2026 CWG.
“The Government wrote to the CGF President over the exclusion of 9 major sports such as Badminton, Cricket, Hockey, Shooting, Squash, Table Tennis, and Wrestling. The CGF President has replied, inter alia, that having only 10 sports disciplines is a temporary position to secure the 2026 Games, and that exclusion of any sport does not set a precedent for inclusion in the future Games,” the Sports Minister has told Parliament.
Decisions about inclusion of sports discipline in the Commonwealth Games are taken by the CGF and the concerned host country. The CGF is the organization responsible for the direction and control of the Commonwealth Games, the Commonwealth Sport movement and other related events.
