India is expected to bid for the 2036 Olympics, but it must first make up for its past failures before hosting the 2030 Commonwealth Games.
Organizers are confident they can avoid a disaster like the last time India hosted the Commonwealth Games, but there are many challenges ahead for the country, which also has Olympic ambitions.
Ahmedabad, in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat, was confirmed on Wednesday as the host of the 2030 Commonwealth Games.
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It is seen as a stepping stone towards India’s goal of hosting the Olympics in 2036, with authorities hoping to establish the world’s most populous country as a sporting destination.
The success of the Commonwealth Games will also help erase the memory of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, which was marred by accusations of corruption and construction delays.
Ahmedabad already has the world’s largest cricket stadium, a 130,000-seat arena named after Modi, which will likely host the opening and closing ceremonies.
But beyond that, rebuilding a city of more than 7 million people will require huge investments in roads, subways and sports facilities.
With only five years until the competition, that’s a relatively short period of time to get everything done.
Ashwani Kumar, a senior Gujarat state official in charge of sports, said the existing venue in Ahmedabad could host the tournament “with some modifications”.
A new arena is also expected to be built by “late 2028 or early 2029.”
“We are very confident and we have done good homework as a team,” Kumar told reporters, adding that a budget had already been drawn up, without disclosing the numbers.
Apart from competition venues, India also needs to strengthen its infrastructure for the thousands of athletes, spectators and officials who will flock to the city.
The hotel plans to add thousands of new rooms, and the local airport plans to begin construction on a new terminal next year.
“Five years is enough to build our capacity,” said Narendra Somani, president of the Gujarat Hotel and Restaurant Association.
“We also hope that the government will come up with industry-friendly policies that will further boost the outlook.”
Somani acknowledged the personnel challenges.
“There is a shortage of skilled workers in the hotel industry in Gujarat. We will have to hire workers from other states such as Assam and Punjab,” he told AFP news agency on Friday.
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The horrors of the 2010 Commonwealth Games loom large.
At the time, the Olympics were meant to showcase India’s status as an emerging world power, but the headlines were instead about delays, shoddy construction and budget overruns.
British and Australian swimmers blamed a pool in Derry for contracting the stomach virus, and some complained of finding cobras in their accommodation in the tournament village.
India’s national auditor general has accused the Delhi government of wasting at least $29 million worth of money during a “haphazard and haphazard” program to beautify the city in the run-up to the Olympics.
The Board of Auditors and Auditor General’s report also cited several instances of fraudulent bids for lucrative contracts to supply timing equipment and lighting equipment for extravagant opening ceremonies and catering services.
Audit committee members accused the organizing committee of overstating expected revenue from the tournament to an astronomical 17.8 billion rupees ($200 million).
“In reality, the total promised revenue was only 6.8 billion rupees ($76 million),” the report said.
Kumar, the Gujarat government official, acknowledged that there were “some challenges” in 2010, but said this time was different.
“We are all well prepared. We are very confident that we can deliver a tournament that will be remembered for years to come,” Kumar said.
But he also added a word of caution: “We don’t want to overcommit to anything, and would rather learn from past Games held elsewhere in the world.”
