By RATNAJYOTI DUTTA
NEW DELHI, 24 Jul: The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) confirmed today that India will know the fate of its bid to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games by November this year. If approved, India will stage the mega sporting event for the second time in two decades.
The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) General Assembly will choose the 2030 host city during its meeting in November. India has already submitted Ahmedabad as its proposed host city, aiming to boost its chances of hosting the Olympics in 2036 in the same city.
“We are fully prepared to bid for the 2030 Commonwealth Games,” said PT Usha, President of the IOA, after an Executive Council meeting at its headquarters in New Delhi.
Usha, a legendary sprinter, emphasised that all national sports bodies stand united under the IOA’s banner to secure major international events in the coming years.
The IOA recently resolved its internal issues over the appointment of Raghuram Iyer as CEO and formed an anti-doping panel to address concerns raised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
India topped the World Anti-Doping Agency’s 2023 testing figures among major nations with a positivity rate of 3.8%.
Former Davis Cup tennis player Rohit Rajpal will lead the newly formed anti-doping panel.
“We are committed to making Indian sports a dope-free force and educating athletes at the grassroots,” Rajpal said.
Kalyan Chaubey, IOA Joint Secretary and President of the All India Football Federation, added, “We all stand united to help Indian sports reach new heights.”
Meanwhile, Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya introduced the National Sports Governance Bill in the Lok Sabha on 23 July.
The Bill proposes setting up a Board with sweeping powers to frame rules and oversee the functioning of sports federations.
Welcoming the move, the IOA described the Bill as a symbol of coordination rather than interference. Chaubey said the Bill ensures that statutes of global sports bodies like IOC, FIFA will prevail during conflicts with domestic rules.
The Bill aims to align India’s sports governance with global standards.
