At the heart of this shift is a simple but deliberate strategy to use the year 2030 as a testing ground towards 2037. Rather than prematurely announcing an Olympic bid, policymakers and planners are focusing on infrastructure delivery and urban preparedness.
The sports enclave
The centerpiece of Ahmedabad’s ambition is the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave, a large-scale Olympic-style masterplan designed around the Motera-Naranpura belt. Developed with global consultants, the project moves decisively away from the iconic stadium approach. Instead, it envisions a dense, walkable cluster of places, encompassing indoor stadiums, aquatic centers, training facilities, athlete accommodation and public spaces, linked by transportation and urban infrastructure.
The idea is to make a modern Olympic Games reward compact cities with clear post-Games utility. The enclave is being marketed as a permanent sports district that can host global events while also serving everyday athletes.
Naranpura as proof of intent
However, projects alone do not convince international organizations. That is why the inauguration of the Veer Savarkar sports complex in Naranpura in 2025 carries a disproportionate weight. Marketed as India’s largest integrated sports complex, the facility brings together multiple indoor sports, aquatics and training infrastructure under one roof.
The complex highlights two things. First, that capital expenditure is already flowing and, second, that Ahmedabad is gaining operational experience, covering the management, maintenance and programming of large multi-sport facilities, long before an Olympic deadline is in sight.
Build a city that can house
An Olympic city is judged as much by what happens outside the venues as inside them. The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s plan to develop 10 new sports complexes and 27 playgrounds across the city fits into that larger picture. The intention is twofold: to expand access to grassroots sports and to distribute the capacity to host events beyond the marquee areas.
At the same time, road widening projects, connectivity improvements and airport expansion plans are aligning with the city’s sports calendar. These are projects that form the logistical backbone that any mega-event demands, from athlete movement to broadcast logistics and also fan access.
The Delhi Parallel Track and a National Narrative
While Ahmedabad is emerging as the focal point, New Delhi is also positioning itself as a complementary pillar. The Union Sports Ministry’s proposal to redevelop the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium complex into a ‘Sports City’ adds a national dimension to the bid ecosystem.
This dual-center approach seeks to strengthen India’s position. It reduces concentration risk and also offers venue flexibility, which aligns with the IOC’s growing preference for sharing hosting and post-Games legacy planning responsibilities.
In the case of India Inc., a credible Olympic pathway opens up long-term opportunities in construction, mobility, hospitality, technology, transmission infrastructure and urban services. However, it also raises the bar for transparency, sustainability and community participation.
The challenges of land acquisition, financial clarity and public scrutiny are already part of the conversation. Independent observers have warned that without robust governance frameworks and enforceable legacy plans, the risk of underutilized assets remains real.
The road to 2036
India has not yet formally submitted an offer and that restraint may be its strongest measure. Treating the 2030 Commonwealth Games as a live stress test, the country is trying to build a track record before launching into the Olympics.
Right now, the work is not glamorous, with bidding, zoning plans, feasibility studies and municipal coordination. But, if the execution of the same matches continues for the next five years, Ahmedabad could well become the city that realizes India’s Olympic dream.
Budget 2026-27
On similar lines, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday announced a comprehensive 10-year roadmap to reform India’s sports ecosystem under the Khelo India Mission, as announced in the Union Budget 2026-27.
Presenting the budget, Sitharaman said the mission would build on the existing Khelo India program to create a structured and sustainable sports framework, while unlocking employment opportunities, skills and job creation.
“The sports sector offers multiple avenues for employment, training and job creation. Building on the systematic talent nurturing already put in place through the Khelo India programme, I propose to launch a Khelo India Mission to transform the sports sector over the next decade,” Sitharaman said.