The 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad will feature 17 sports, marking a significant expansion from the current scaled-down format. According to CEO Katie Sadleir, as reported by Business Standard, the programme will return to full capacity after the 2026 Glasgow edition features only 10 able-bodied and six para sports. The Indian Olympic Committee and Government of India are currently working with Commonwealth Sport to finalize the comprehensive sporting lineup for the 2030 Games. "We will be going back up to a programme of 17 sports in Ahmedabad," Sadleir confirmed in a virtual media briefing, emphasizing the return to full Games capacity. The 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, scheduled to begin next month, will be a scaled-down edition featuring 10 able-bodied and six para sports in an effort to deliver a more cost-effective event.
The 2030 Games in Ahmedabad will be staged at approximately 60% lower cost than previous editions, following Commonwealth Sport's 'Games Reset' principles. As reported by Business Standard, Sadleir explained that this cost reduction is part of their reimagined approach for future Games. "60 per cent is part of our reimagined reset for the future, and it's definitely where we're pitching Ahmedabad. Glasgow has done a spectacular job at making a significant reduction on 60 per cent from the Birmingham Games," she stated. To put the cost-cutting into perspective, the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games cost approximately ₹6,480 crore (780 million pounds), while the 2026 Glasgow edition is expected to be delivered for around ₹1,360 crore (160 million pounds). "We've gone from what was a 780 million-pound Games in Birmingham in 2022, to 160 million-pound Games in Glasgow in 2026," CEO Phil Batty confirmed.
Glasgow's approach to hosting has been built around the city's existing infrastructure and sustainability goals. According to Batty, as reported by Business Standard, the model focuses on designing events to fit the city's footprint, including existing active transport networks and public transport systems. "The first is we've designed the event to the footprint of the city. So that's everything, from looking at the existing active transport networks, to public transport networks throughout the city, to the facilities," Batty explained. The organisers have prioritised environmental sustainability by moving away from diesel cars to electric fleets and EV shuttle bus services, creating a more cost-effective and environmentally friendly hosting model. "The second is prioritising environmental sustainability. So moving away from diesel cars to an electric fleet and an EV shuttle bus service," Batty added.
The more sustainable and affordable hosting model has generated greater interest among potential host nations for future Games. As reported by Business Standard, Sadleir stated that this evolution has driven significant interest in the hosting pipeline process for 2030 and 2034 Games. "This evolution and reimagining and innovation in terms of our games was critical for us. We made a statement that we wanted to take the Commonwealth Games around the Commonwealth, not to just have it bounce back and forth between the members that could afford a very large-scale event," she added. "And what this has shown, by working with the event expertise in Glasgow, is (that) it drove a significant interest in terms of the hosting pipeline process that we went through for 2030 and 2034, which we haven't started in 2031." The changes have shown hosts that hosting the Commonwealth Games is achievable, with the Games no longer limited to members that can afford very large-scale events. "But we know now that because we've made t hese changes, that hosts are saying, 'hey, we can do this, this is doable'", Sadleir noted.
