FILE PHOTO: The Indian national flag is projected onto a balloon during the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in New Delhi October 14, 2010. REUTERS/B Mathur/File Photo
NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India's bid to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games has been approved by the country's federal government, which hopes staging it will benefit local businesses and inspire a new generation of athletes.
The cabinet approved the bid to host the 2030 Games in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, with the lion's share of the events proposed to be held at a 132,000-seat stadium named after Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"It also gave its approval to sign the Host Collaboration Agreement (HCA) along with the required guarantees from concerned ministries, departments and authorities and sanction of required grant-in-aid to Gujarat Government, in case the bid gets accepted," the government said in a statement on Wednesday.
The Commonwealth Games bid is part of India's dream of hosting the 2036 Olympic Games in Ahmedabad.
The world's most populous nation hosted the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi but is was marred by allegations of corruption and mismanagement, and the government sees 2030 as an opportunity to banish those memories.
"Hosting such a globally prestigious event will foster a strong sense of national pride and unity," added the government statement.
"It will inspire a new generation of athletes to enter into sports as a career option and encourage greater participation in sports at all levels."
Sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya said India had made rapid strides in recent years towards becoming a "sports superpower".
"Today's decision demonstrates that we are fully prepared to host international competitions," he wrote on X.
While Canada and Nigeria are also in the running, India is bullish about its chances of hosting the multi-sports gathering of mainly former British colonies, which has struggled to find takers in recent years.
Scotland's Glasgow will host a pared-down version of the Games next year after the Australian state of Victoria, the original host, pulled out citing escalating costs.
The 2022 Games was shifted to Birmingham after the South African city of Durban withdrew due to financial issues.
(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
