The Indian national flag is projected onto a balloon during the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in 2010.
Credit: Reuters photo
India is set to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, with Ahmedabad bragging the rights during Commonwealth Sport's general assembly on Wednesday.
This will be the first time in two decades that the multi-sport event will return to India.
Ahmedabad is also in race to host the Olympic Games and has upgraded its sports infrastructure on a war footing in the last one decade.
India faced competition from Nigeria's Abuja for the 2030 bid. However, Commonwealth Sport decided to instead consider the African nation for the 2034 edition.
For the 2010 Delhi Games, India had spent close to Rs 70,000 crore to host the 2010 edition of the Games, far exceeding the initial estimate of Rs 1,600 crore.
As India welcomes a multi-national sporting event on its shores, here is a look at the previous instances when the nation hosted big events.
Commonwealth Games
India hosted its biggest sporting event in 2010. The Games were held in Delhi with over 4,000 athletes from 76 countries participating in 21 sports and 272 events.
Asian Games
India's first major sporting event post independence was the 1951 Asian Games, which was held in Delhi from March 4 to 11. A total of 11 nations participated across eight sports and 57 events.
The Asian Games returned to India after more than three decades in 1982. Delhi, yet again hosted the Games that had expanded massively. As many as 33 nations participated in 21 sports and 196 events.
South Asian and Afro-Asian Games
In 1987 and 1995, India hosted the South Asian Games in Kolkata and Chennai (then Madras), respectively. It was only after almost two decades that the country hosted the Games in Guwahati and Shillong in 2016.
In 2003, Hyderabad had the bragging rights for the Afro-Asian Games. This was the biggest sporting event the country had hosted at the time. About 96 countries participated in 131 sporting events.
Cricket World Cup
India has hosted the ICC Cricket World Cup four times. The first of which was jointly hosted with Pakistan in 1987. This was the first Cricket World Cup held outside England. The format was similar to the previous 1983 World Cup that India had won with eight participating teams.
In 1996, India got back the hosting rights and shared it with Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The tournament expanded to 12 teams in this edition of the tournament.
The cricket World Cup returned to India in 2011, when India clinched the coveted trophy after 28 years. The tournament saw 14 teams battle for the title that was co-hosted by Sri Lanka and Bangladesh alongside India.
For the first time in 2023, India hosted the Cricket World Cup without a co-host. The 10-team tournament saw India play the final but falter the final barrier.
India has also hosted the Women's Cricket World Cup in 1997, 2013 and 2025. While the first of the three events saw 11 teams participate, the other two had eight teams. India also won the 2025 World Cup for the first time.
Hockey World Cup
Once giants of the sport, India hosted its first Field Hockey World Cup in 1982 in Mumbai. The 12-team tournament saw Pakistan clinch the title.
It was only in 2010 that the tournament returned to India. Australia were crowned champions where 12 teams participated.
India went on to organise two more Hockey World Cups in 2018 and 2023, Bhubaneshwar was the city that hosted the 16-team tournament in both the years.
Additionally, the country has also hosted the Hockey Champions Trophy in 2007, 2011 and 2014.
Motorsports
For a brief three-year stint from 2011-13, Formula One had a Grand Prix in India at the Budh International Circuit in Greater Noida.
However, due to tax disputes with the Uttar Pradesh government, the race, that was initially cancelled for just one season, never returned to the country.