NEW DELHI: Though it could be more than a decade’s wait for Ahmedabad to host the Olympics, the city could well become the venue for another major sporting event – Commonwealth Games 2026 – three years from now. The entire sporting infrastructure in the city is set to be completed much before the next CWG are scheduled, and the opportunity has arisen because of the Australian state of Victoria’s decision to pull out as the host, citing highly escalated costs. Though a couple of other cities have also expressed their interest to host these Games, it is reliably learnt that Ahmedabad’s bid would be one of the strongest, whenever it happens. “We had been readying ourselves to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games. But the way we are going about constructing the infrastructure, we are confident that we can host the Games four years earlier,” said a state Government official, who refused to be named.
A senior member of the Commonwealth Secretariat in London told Blitz India that most of the members were in support of India’s bid for the CWG 2026. “The majority of members want India to host the Games,” he stressed.
It is worth noting that South African city Durban had also pulled out of hosting the Commonwealth Games last year due to financial constraints. Thereafter, the Commonwealth Governing Federation allotted the CWG 2022 to Birmingham, England.
