India has formally entered the race to host the Asian Video games 2038, submitting an expression of curiosity to the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to convey the continent’s largest multi-sport occasion to Ahmedabad, a metropolis that might by then be among the many most battle-tested sporting venues on the planet.
The Indian Olympic Affiliation (IOA) submitted its proposal to the OCA throughout the govt board assembly in Sanya, China, on April 23. The OCA govt board formally welcomed the bid; its president Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani recommended India’s ambition to stage Asia’s premier sporting occasion. The board has since determined to represent an inspection and analysis committee that may journey to India to evaluate Ahmedabad’s infrastructure and readiness.
IOA CEO Raghuram Iyer was measured about the place issues stand. “It’s solely an expression of curiosity for now. They’d an preliminary dialogue, and they’ll inform us what to do going ahead. There isn’t any deadline for submission of bids,” he mentioned.
There’s a procedural wrinkle value noting. The OCA is contemplating shifting the Asian Video games to odd-numbered years to align higher with the Olympic cycle, by scheduling them a yr earlier than the Olympics. Below this plan, the 2038 Video games may shift to 2039 whereas the 2030 and 2034 editions would transfer to 2031 and 2035, respectively. The calendar shuffle doesn’t change the basics of India’s bid; it solely adjusts the marquee date. The ultimate determination on the host metropolis is predicted at a gathering in Nagoya, Japan, this September.
India just isn’t alone within the working. South Korea, proposing a joint bid from Gwangju and Daegu, Mongolia and Malaysia have additionally expressed curiosity. However India’s bid carries institutional weight that the others arguably can not boast of at scale—a pipeline of mega occasions already underway and a metropolis purpose-built, over the subsequent decade, with a dream to host the Olympics 2036.
Final yr alone, Ahmedabad hosted the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships, the Asian Aquatics Championships and the AFC U-17 Asian Cup Qualifiers. In 2026, it has already staged the Asian Weightlifting Championships and the ICC Males’s T20 World Cup closing. The road-up forward is much more consequential: the World Police and Fireplace Video games in 2029, the centenary Commonwealth Video games in 2030, an lively Olympics bid for 2036, and now a proper expression of curiosity for the Asian Video games in 2038.
The core of Ahmedabad’s biodata is the Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera, the world’s largest cricketing venue with a capability to seat 132,000 folks. The opening and shutting ceremonies of the Asian Video games might be hosted there. Round it, a 350-acre sports activities campus is taking form.
The Gujarat authorities has acquired 650 acres throughout Motera and the adjoining localities of Sughad, Bhat and Koteshwar to construct the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports activities Enclave, of which 280 acres is earmarked for brand new stadiums and apply amenities, 240 acres for an athletes’ village and 50 acres alongside the Sabarmati riverfront for reception and help infrastructure.
The Veer Savarkar Sports activities Complicated in Naranpura is a 21-acre, six-zone facility opened in September 2025 and constructed at a value of Rs 825 crore. It homes an aquatics centre and tennis courts. The broader masterplan for the sports activities enclave consists of three tennis present courts, an indoor athletics area and an aquatics centre on the banks of the Sabarmati.
India final hosted the Asian Video games in 1982 in New Delhi. The nationwide capital had additionally staged the inaugural version in 1951. An Ahmedabad version in 2038/2039 could be a outstanding return.
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