The Commonwealth Games may be heading toward a very different shape in Ahmedabad, and that matters well beyond the medals table. A 17-sport programme is expected for the 2030 Games in Gujarat, a sharp step up from the reduced 10-sport format seen in Glasgow. That is not just a scheduling note. It changes who gets in, which events return and how the Games will present themselves as Commonwealth Sport moves toward its centenary edition.
The most striking part of the discussion is not the number alone, but the sports being considered. Cricket, archery and shooting are among the events being looked at for inclusion, which would restore some familiar ground for India and give the programme a much broader feel. Cricket was already part of Birmingham 2022 for the first time in 24 years, when it returned as a women’s-only T20 event, so its place in the Commonwealth conversation is hardly theoretical. What is different now is the scale of the programme and the setting: Ahmedabad, in India, with the organising committee working alongside Commonwealth Sport and sporting federations on the final shape of the event.
Why the programme is growing
The contrast with Glasgow is important. The Glasgow Games carry only 10 sports because the build-up was rushed after the Australian state of Victoria pulled out as hosts. Ahmedabad, by comparison, is being framed as a fuller, more ambitious event. Katie Sadlier said 17 is “the right number,” and that view reflects the broader aim of building a programme that feels substantial rather than stripped back.
Raghu Iyer, representing the India Olympic Association, made the case in practical terms. “There are many sports who will feel they have missed out,” he said, while also stressing that India wants sports it has traditionally done well in. He specifically pointed to shooting and archery, and added that the priority is to ensure these Games are among the best ever held. That is a revealing balance: not just national interest, but a desire for a programme that fits the host and the event.
What it means for India and the Commonwealth
There is also a wider strategic layer here. India has expressed a keen interest in hosting the 2036 Olympic Games, so every major international event matters as part of a longer runway. A successful Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad would not only spotlight the Narendra Modi Stadium and the wider organising effort, but also reinforce India’s case as a serious multi-sport host. Even at this stage, the discussion is less about nostalgia than momentum.
For athletes and sports that miss out in smaller Games editions, the shift to 17 sports is significant. It creates space for more disciplines, more regional relevance and a programme that feels less compressed. Commonwealth Sport has not settled every detail yet, and the talks with federations are ongoing, but the direction is clear. Ahmedabad is being built as a much larger stage than Glasgow, and that alone changes the story the Games can tell.
The key question now is not whether the Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad will look different. They already will. The real issue is whether that bigger format can produce a stronger, more balanced centenary Games — one that gives the Commonwealth’s best-known sports room to return without losing the event’s sense of purpose.
