Ahmedabad’s appetite for bold bets can be measured in acres. At a recent planning summit, Ajay Patel, senior vice-president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), offered a startling comparison. “Paris has allocated 400 acres for the 2024 Olympics. Ahmedabad has received 1,000 acres.”Officially, the city is gearing up for the 2030 Commonwealth Games (CWG), the event’s centenary year and India’s first since the 2010 Delhi Olympics. But nearly every major decision taken today is geared toward a larger ambition: positioning Ahmedabad as the host city for the 2036 Olympics. “The 2030 CWG is a dress rehearsal for the 2036 Summer Olympics,” said Patel. While the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is expected to take a final decision on the 2036 host city around 2029, Gujarat has already started building as if the Games are just around the corner.A drive through Motera illustrates the scale of this ambition. Construction cranes, excavators and scaffolding dominate the skyline as roads, stadiums, transport systems and hotels are taking shape for the event four years from now.master planThe core of the transformation is Rs 5,050 crore Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave (SVPSE) is built around the Narendra Modi Stadium, the world’s largest cricket stadium with a capacity of 1.32 lakh people. The stadium will host the CWG’s opening and closing ceremonies. The enclave will include a 12,000-seat aquatics center, an 18,000-seat tennis center and indoor venues for basketball, gymnastics, volleyball, skateboarding, synchronized swimming and sport climbing. To make way for the project, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) changed its land use plan in Sabarmati and Koteshwar, freeing up nearly 1.45 million square meters of land.Gujarat said unlike past editions of multi-sport events where venues struggled to find a target after the Olympics, legacy planning has been part of the project from the start. “We are adopting an asset utilization model rather than the traditional ROI-based recovery approach,” Harsh Sanghavi, deputy chief minister of Gujarat who is leading the bid for Ahmedabad’s CWG, told TOI. “The CWG infrastructure is a long-term investment in Ahmedabad’s transformation into a global hub for the Olympics and is not a sunk cost.“The venues will serve as year-round gaming plazas hosting sporting events, concerts and exhibitions and are expected to achieve operational breakeven within five to seven years. A dedicated Infrastructure Heritage and Operations Trust (ILOT) is being created to manage the facilities at Motera and Naranpura Sports Centre.The sporting footprint extends far beyond Motera. About 11 kilometers away in Gandhinagar Kalai, a zero-net-emission athletics stadium with a capacity of 50,000 people and a world-class shooting center are under construction. The Rs 825-crore Naranpura Sports Complex has become operational and houses badminton, squash, table tennis and Olympic-standard swimming facilities.Other sports complexes have been completed in Vastral and more are under construction in Gota, Ghuma, Naroda and Nikol. A total of 22 venues have been finalized in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar. Sangavi set a clear deadline. “All major infrastructure will be ready by the end of 2029, with commissioning in early 2030. When athletes and tourists arrive, Ahmedabad will be fully prepared and venues, transport and support systems will operate seamlessly.“30 minutes to the cityHowever, the renovation extends far beyond the stadium. The number of vehicles in Ahmedabad is growing at nearly 9% annually, much higher than the national average. To prevent congestion during the Olympics, planners have adopted what officials call a “30-minute city” model. The goal is simple: every athlete, official and spectator should be able to travel between venues, hotels and training centers within 30 minutes.The existing 168-km Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS), which carries more than 220,000 passengers daily, will be integrated with the expanding metro network. A new north-south metro corridor and parallel Neo metro or light rail system are each designed to carry approximately 70,000 passengers per hour in both directions.The Rs 472-crore integrated ticketing platform will allow commuters to use a single QR code in metros, BRTS and planned 3,000 electric buses. The road network is also expanding. New arterial roads and north-south and east-west corridors are being developed, while more than 100 roads are being widened. Meanwhile, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport is gearing up for a sharp rise in passenger traffic. The new integrated terminal is expected to double its annual capacity, while the airports at Dholeira, Vadodara and Surat can help deal with overloading during the Olympics.Budget and supportersFunding a project of this size will require multiple sources of funding. According to estimates of Gujarat’s bid to host the Olympics, the organizing committee budget is likely to be between Rs 18,557 crore and Rs 41,031 crore, while capital expenditure on infrastructure is expected to be between Rs 16,060 crore and Rs 22,878 crore. The state plans to rely heavily on public-private partnerships, particularly the Olympic Village and International Broadcast Center. It also proposes an ‘Adopt a Sport’ scheme to encourage businesses to support athlete development and infrastructure through corporate social responsibility funding.Officials cited Gujarat’s own investment in sports as evidence of its long-term commitment. The state’s sports budget has increased from Rs 25 crore in 2002 to Rs 521 crore today, and the Khel Mahakumbh program now attracts more than 7 million participants annually.villages and vacanciesAccommodation remains one of the biggest challenges. The proposed Olympic Village, located within 5 km of the Narendra Modi Stadium, will include 2,191 apartments and accommodate over 17,500 athletes. The apartments are proposed to be converted into high-end housing.The hotel shortage is a thornier problem. Ahmedabad currently has over 5,400 star-rated rooms and the long-term demand for the Olympics is estimated to be close to 10 rooms. The aim is to increase capacity to 40,000 rooms by the 2030 Commonwealth Games through a new hotel policy offering capital subsidies. Some land has been earmarked for development and neighboring cities like Vadodara and Mehsana are expected to absorb some of the additional demand.Green commitmentThe transformation also sets out an ambitious sustainability agenda. Ahmedabad has committed to powering the proposed Olympics entirely through renewable energy, backed by an upgraded battery storage system. Six million trees have been planted so far, with a target of 10 million, while each venue is expected to recycle and reuse all wastewater.(According to Kapil Dave and Parag Dev)
