Dravid, Saina Named In Proposed 2030 CWG Committee
Former India cricket captain Rahul Dravid and Olympic medallist Saina Nehwal have been nominated by the Sports Ministry as athlete representatives in the proposed Organising Committee for the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad.
The committee is expected to be headed by Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister and Sports Minister Harsh Sanghavi. It will also include representatives from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), Commonwealth Games Association of India and the private sector.
Dravid and Saina Among Key Nominations
“Yes, Rahul Dravid and Saina Nehwal have been nominated to the proposed Organising Committee. Jinal Mehta and Ananya Birla are the two recommendations from the private sector,” a Sports Ministry source told PTI.
Saina, who won bronze at the 2012 London Olympics, joined the ruling BJP after retiring from badminton. Dravid, meanwhile, went on to coach the Indian men’s cricket team after his playing career and guided the side to the 2024 T20 World Cup title.
The private-sector recommendations are Jinal Mehta, chairman of IPL franchise Gujarat Titans and head of Torrent Pharmaceuticals, and Ananya Birla, who is associated with the consortium that owns Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
The proposed committee is expected to have 12 to 15 members. It will also include a representative from Commonwealth Games Association of India, with Lt Gen Harpal Singh named for the role.
Ahmedabad Plans Larger Commonwealth Games
Ahmedabad won the bid to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games in November 2025, and the organising committee was expected to be formed earlier this year.
India is planning to include 15 to 17 sports in the programme, a significant expansion from the 10 disciplines featured at the Glasgow edition. Popular events such as hockey, wrestling and cricket were among those left out of the Glasgow programme.
The Ahmedabad Games are expected to be a much larger event, with operational costs estimated at Rs 3,000 crore to Rs 5,000 crore. The Sports Ministry has committed a grant-in-aid of Rs 2,000 crore, to be released as and when the Gujarat government raises a demand.
The estimate does not include capital expenditure on wider public infrastructure, some of which will be handled by the urban development department. Such projects are expected to have utility beyond the Games.
Organising Model and Legacy of Previous Games
The Ahmedabad organising committee is expected to operate as a not-for-profit company, following a model used for the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games. The same structure was recommended by the Comptroller and Auditor General after the 2010 Delhi Games.
The Melbourne edition is widely regarded as one of the most successful Commonwealth Games, earning praise for its organisation and public participation.
The Ahmedabad committee will have a chairman, vice-chairman and CEO, along with representatives from Commonwealth Sport, the governing body of the Games. The 2010 Delhi organising committee, headed by then IOA president Suresh Kalmadi, had been registered as a society and faced criticism over its management as well as corruption allegations.
The 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad are expected to be held in October.
