Ahmedabad’s appetite for bold bets can be measured in acres. At a recent planning summit, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) senior vice-president Ajay Patel offered a striking comparison. “Paris has used 400 hectares for its 2024 games. Ahmedabad has already acquired 1,000 hectares.”Officially, the city is preparing for the 2030 Commonwealth Games (CWG), the centenary edition of the event and India’s first since Delhi 2010. But almost every major decision that has been taken today has been shaped by a larger ambition: positioning Ahmedabad as the host city for the 2036 Olympic Games. “The CWG 2030 is a dress rehearsal for the Summer Olympic Games 2036,” Patel said. While the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is expected to take a final call on the 2036 host around 2029, Gujarat has already started building as if the Olympics are coming.A trip through Motera reflects the scale of that ambition. Construction cranes, excavators and scaffolding dominate the skyline as roads, sports venues, transport systems and hotels take shape for an event still four years away.The master planAt the heart of the transformation is the Rs 5,050-crore Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave (SVPSE), which comes around the Narendra Modi Stadium, the largest cricket venue in the world with a capacity of 1.32 lakh. The stadium is set to host the opening and closing ceremonies of the CWG. The enclave will include a 12,000-seat aquatic center, an 18,000-seat tennis center and indoor arenas for basketball, gymnastics, volleyball, skateboarding, artistic swimming and sport climbing. To make way for the project, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) changed land use plans in Sabarmati and Koteshwar, freeing up nearly 14.5 lakh square meters.Unlike many past multisport events where venues have struggled to find purpose after the Games, Gujarat says legacy planning has been built into the project from the start. “We have adopted an asset utilization model rather than a traditional ROI-based recovery approach,” Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, who led Ahmedabad’s CWG bid, told TOI. “The CWG infrastructure is a long-term investment in transforming Ahmedabad into an Olympics-ready global hub, not a sunk cost.“The venues will function as a year-round playground, hosting sporting events, concerts and exhibitions, with an operational breakeven projected in five to seven years. A dedicated Infrastructure Legacy & Operations Trust (ILOT) is being created to manage the facilities at Motera and the Naranpura Sports Complex.The sporting footprint extends far beyond Motera. About 11 km away, at Karai in Gandhinagar, a net-zero athletics stadium with a capacity of 50,000 and a first-class shooting center are under construction. The Rs 825 crore Naranpura sports complex is already operational, with facilities for badminton, squash, table tennis and Olympic standard swimming.Further sports complexes have been completed in Vastral, while more are under construction in Gota, Ghuma, Naroda and Nikol. In all, 22 competition posts have been finalized in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar. Sanghavi set a firm deadline. “All the major infrastructure will be ready by the end of 2029, leaving the beginning of 2030 for the test procedures. By the time the athletes and visitors arrive, Ahmedabad will be fully ready, with venues, transport and support systems functioning perfectly.“The city of 30 minutesThe makeover, however, extends far beyond the stadiums. Ahmedabad’s vehicle population is growing at nearly nine percent annually, significantly above the national average. To prevent congestion during the Games, planners have adopted what officials describe as a “30-minute city” model. The objective is simple: every athlete, official and spectator must 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 2.2 lakh passengers daily, will be integrated with an expanding Metro network. A new north-south Metro corridor and a parallel Neo Metro or light rail system are each designed to carry around 70,000 passengers per hour in each direction.A Rs 472-crore integrated ticketing platform will allow passengers to use a single QR code on the Metro, BRTS and a planned fleet of 3,000 electric buses. The road network has also been expanded. New arterial roads and north-south and east-west corridors are being developed, while more than 100 roads are being widened. At the same time, the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport is preparing for a sharp increase in traffic. A new integrated terminal is expected to double its annual capacity, while Dholera, Vadodara and Surat airports could help handle the overflow during the Olympics.Budgets and supportersFunding a project of this scale will require multiple funding streams. According to Gujarat Olympic bid estimates, the budget of the organizing committee could range from Rs 18,557 crore to 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, especially for the Olympic Village and the International Transmission Center. It also proposes an “Adopt a Sport” program to encourage corporations to support athlete development and infrastructure through corporate social responsibility funding.Officials cite Gujarat’s own sports investment as evidence of its long-term commitment. The state’s sports budget has grown from Rs 2.5 crore in 2002 to Rs 521 crore today, while the Khel Mahakumbh program now attracts more than seven million participants annually.Village is vacantHousing remains one of the biggest challenges. The proposed Olympic Village, located 5 km from the Narendra Modi Stadium, comprises 2,191 apartments capable of accommodating more than 17,500 athletes. The apartments are intended to be converted into premium residential housing.The lack of hotels presents an even tougher problem. Ahmedabad currently has just over 5,400 star-category rooms, while the long-term requirement for the Olympics is estimated at nearly one lakh. The aim is to increase capacity to 40,000 rooms before the 2030 Commonwealth Games through a new hotel policy offering capital subsidies. Plots of land are already earmarked for development, while nearby cities such as Vadodara and Mehsana are expected to absorb some of the additional demand.Green promisesThe transformation also carries an ambitious sustainability agenda. Ahmedabad has committed to powering the proposed Olympic Games entirely through renewable energy, supported by upgraded battery storage systems. Six million trees have already been planted against a target of 10 million, while each competition venue is expected to recycle and reuse all waste water.(With inputs from Kapil Dave and Parag Dave)
