Eye on hosting Olympics in 2036, India submits bid to host 2030 Commonwealth Games: Report

New Delhi: With an eye on hosting the Olympic Games in 2036, India has formally submitted its bid to conduct the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad, a top sports ministry source told PTI on Thursday, confirming a move that has been in the making for several weeks.

The last date to submit the 'Expression of Interest' to host the Games is March 31 and India's letter was sent by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) a few days ago.

"Yes, it is true, India's bid has been submitted by the IOA and the state of Gujarat," the ministry source stated.

Ahmedabad, the city that has been finalised to organise the 2030 CWG should the event come to India, is also the front-runner to be the Olympic host if the 2036 bid is successful.

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), which has re-branded itself as Commonwealth Sport will now lead evaluation process and the final appointment of the host will be decided by the CGF General Assembly.

The decision to submit the bid comes after sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya recently asserted that the country was interested in hosting the Games.

India, which last hosted the CWG in 2010, is also aiming to host the 2036 Olympics.

The country had also expressed a desire to host all those disciplines that were axed from the 2026 CWG to ensure that its medal tally is not affected when the event is held in Glasgow. However, that proposal was rejected by CGF.

However, the CGF CEO Katie Sadleir was quite open to the idea of India hosting the 2030 CWG and had said that it would be a step in the right direction as the country pursued the ambition of playing host to the 2036 Olympics.

India has rarely held multi-sport extravaganzas. The 2010 CWG and the 1982 Asian Games are the only instances of multi-sport events being held in India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had first talked about his government's aspiration to host the 2036 Olympics during the 2023 IOC (International Olympic Committee) session in Mumbai.

India will have to face competition from several other nations like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey, who are positioning themselves as strong contenders to host the sporting spectacle. A decision on the 2036 Olympic host is not expected before 2026.

However, the pace of the process is expected to pick up after the IOC smoothly conducted its Annual Session in Greece to elect former Olympic champions Kirsty Coventry as its first woman President.

India has so far submitted a 'Letter of Intent' to host the Games. With that, the nation progressed from "Informal Dialogue" to the "Continuous Dialogue" stage of the host election process.

In this stage, the IOC conducts a "feasibility study" of the progress of projects associated with the Games in the potential host.