India key to CWG movement: CGF prez

On the day when Glasgow was officially announced as the host city for the 2026 Games, Commonwealth Games Federation president Chris Jenkins said India has a bigger role to play in the movement. Jenkins has been in India for the last two days, holding meetings with Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) top brass, led by PT Usha. Jenkins said he wants India not to just host the Games but other CGF initiatives as well.

“We talked about the Commonwealth Games and India’s involvement from now until 2034. As 2030 is our centenary year, we can do a really good build-up to the Games,” Jenkins told The Tribune. “We will go out very soon with expressions of interest. Not just hosting but staging some events for us. We have a fantastic disability inclusion programme called GAPS. We could run a GAPS campaign in India. To partner with India would be fantastic,” he added.

CGF’s Gather Adjust Prepare Sustain (GAPS) aims to support the development of inclusive sport pathways, participation for people with disability and for women and girls to become involved in sport.

The CGF president further said that they have learned their lesson after Victoria, the original 2026 Games host, pulled out in July last year citing rising costs. Going forward Jenkins said the CGF will no longer ask host nations to build sports villages.

“We have looked at the cost of staging the Commonwealth Games and we think we have taken about 60 percent of the cost out. So what we are saying to countries is that we would like you to use existing venues. We are not going to tell you to build something for accommodation. Whether it is in universities or hotels, there are lots of options. So by bringing the cost down it broadens the base for countries that could bid for the Games,” he said.

“We have also said that the number of sports, 22, is probably far too many. It should be probably around 15-17. It is widely reported (that in Glasgow) there will be 10 sports disciplines because it is only 18 months for the Games and it limits what you can put up in 18 months. But looking at 2030, that number will be back up to normal, which is 15-17,” he said.

Balancing act in Glasgow

Jenkins was very forthcoming in saying that since the 2026 Games will be a truncated event, the CGF and the host city will have to walk a thin line when deciding on the sports programme.

“We will have to do a balancing exercise. So there are a few factors to take into account. It is a crowded sporting calendar so we have to sit down with the international federations as well,” he said.

“We also want to have meaningful participation from countries within the Commonwealth so there is a real balancing exercise to be done between those sports that are very popular and making sure that each region or country will have something that they can enter,” he added.