Indian sports officials on Wednesday announced that Ahmedabad, which has already secured the 2030 Commonwealth Games (CWG), has also been proposed as the venue for two major global athletics events—the 2028 World U20 Championships and the 2031 World Senior Athletics Championships. The proposals indicate the Gujarat city’s aggressive push to become a global sporting hub as part of India’s broader bid to host the 2036 Olympic Games.
Earlier this week, Ahmedabad was formally awarded hosting rights for the 2030 Commonwealth Games by the General Assembly of Commonwealth Sport, marking the event’s return to India after 20 years.
During a press conference, Ashwani Kumar, Principal Secretary (Sports), Government of Gujarat, highlighted the city’s long-term sports infrastructure vision.
“We are creating infrastructure with the aspiration that Ahmedabad becomes the sports capital of India,” he said.
“We are going to provide facilities for training, for developing world-class athletes, and for hosting Asian, continental and world championships.”
He further revealed an ambitious lineup of proposed and confirmed events:
- 2028 World U20 Athletics Championships
- 2031 World Senior Athletics Championships
- 2033 World Aquatics Championships
- 2029 World Police and Fire Games
“The list is very long,” Kumar added. “We have a pipeline of events that will keep coming, and they are going to drive the local economy.”
India had earlier submitted an expression of interest to host the 2028 World U20 Athletics Championships through the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) during the visit of World Athletics president Sebastian Coe in late 2024. World Athletics is expected to announce the hosts for the 2028 and 2030 Junior World Championships next month.
World Athletics vice president and former AFI President Adille Sumariwalla has also confirmed that India intends to lodge a “strategic” bid for the 2029 and 2031 World Championships, with the host nations set to be announced in September 2026.
Highlighting Ahmedabad’s experience in hosting major events, Ashwani Kumar said,
“At the Veer Savarkar Multisports Complex, we have already hosted the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships and the Asian Aquatics Championships. Next year, we will host the Asian Weightlifting Championships.”
He said such events are aligned with India’s sporting ambitions and strengthen the case for the 2036 Olympics bid.
“Ahmedabad being selected as the host city for the 2030 Commonwealth Games is a very positive development. It helps demonstrate to the world that we can host a multi-sport event in the shortest time and deliver it in the best possible way.”