The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has its Special General Meeting (SGM) on Wednesday. And in it we expect it to formally give its seal of approval for India’s 2030 Commonwealth Games (CWG) bid. Mostly, it is a formality. Having said that it is a key step towards India’s ambitions of hosting the 2036 Olympic Games.
As a sports competition the CWG has lost a lot of its sheen over the years. In some disciplines at least, the competition is below par. But in some others, it is still good enough and the larger geo politics still retains significance. 2030 will be the centenary year of these Games, which started in 1930 in Canada. And to host the anniversary Games could be special. It will see preparedness in earnest for the Olympics and give India’s 2036 ambitions a major boost. The same infrastructure, with improvements of course, will be used for 2036 and in that sense will turn sustainable and meaningful.
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If we ask the question should India host the 2030 CWG, it could well be a tricky one. Seen in isolation, the answer is a firm no. Hosting the CWG per se has little meaning in today’s day and age. Glasgow 2026 for example was a last ditch effort to save the Games and the schedule is evidence, it is a much curtailed effort. No way can we justify the millions spent on hosting a CWG.
But the moment you bring in the 2036 bid, it all starts to make sense. Instead of hosting the Youth Olympic Games as a stepping stone, India has decided to host the CWG. It will give us a clear understanding where we stand regarding 2036 and what are the areas that need improvement. It will also mean that things aren’t left to the very last minute, as was done in 2010, and India will be ready well in advance for the 2036 Olympics. Also, if India is awarded the rights to host the 2030 CWG, which is most likely to be the case, it will mean that infrastructure will be ready by 2029, well in time for the 2036 host city announcement.
It is the larger picture that justifies the 2030 CWG bid and that’s why the IOA SGM is significant. Now there are many who will say why host the Olympics? First and foremost India needs to win 20 medals at the Games and only then should it try and host it. The truth is there is meaning in these statements. Having said that, 2036 is not just about medals won or records broken. It is also about India’s geo political ambitions. A global power play where India now sees itself as having a voice.
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That’s where Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to take the country and that’s what explains the bid. For the IOC, the Global South has forever been a neglected domain. Never has the Olympic Games come to the global South and for a Games that claims to be global in nature and essence, this is a big lacuna. A strong Indian bid will help overcome this drawback and could well receive strong support within the corridors of power.
Wednesday’s SGM could well be the formal stepping stone. Step by step and brick by brick. Just hope the IOA isn’t divided anymore.
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