India to be trustworthy host of 2030 CWG: Reddy

Out of his comfort zone but not particularly out of depth, Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy listed the government’s achievements in the Sports Ministry as part of a cross-ministerial sensitisation programme, expressing confidence that India would be a “trustworthy” host for the 2030 Commonwealth Games.

Reddy spoke at length about the various government initiatives of the past decade and how they have had a “transformative impact” on India’s sporting landscape. He also highlighted the “positive role” that Gen Z is playing in nation-building to “support the vision and leadership” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“You must be wondering, how come the Coal Minister is holding a briefing for the Sports Ministry. It is the government’s approach to have ministries learn about what’s happening in other departments.”It is an attempt to ensure there is awareness across ministries,” Reddy said explaining the context of the morning gathering with some unfamiliar media faces who cover the Sports ministry, which is currently helmed by Mansukh Mandaviya.

The 65-year-old Reddy then listed in great detail, the impact of initiatives such as the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), the Khelo India Scheme, the ground-breaking National Sports Governance Act and also the ambitious bid to host the 2036 Olympic Games in Ahmedabad, which has already bagged the 2030 CWG rights. “Since 2015, 20 different cities have played host to international sporting events in the country.

Earlier, such events were limited to two or three major centres,” Reddy said without getting into specifics. “India will emerge as a trustworthy host in the 2030 Commonwealth Games,” asserted the Lok Sabha representative from Telangana’s Secunderabad. “In our Olympic bid too, Bharat is moving forward in the bid process. We are giving our best efforts to bring the Games to India and it will take Indian sports to new heights,” he added.

During the briefing he was flanked by Joint Secretary (Sports) R Vineel Krishna and Joint Secretary (Youth Affairs) Nitesh Kumar Mishra, occasionally supplementing his assertions with their inputs, especially on CWG. When a question on whether the 2030 CWG would be expanded beyond Ahmedabad, Reddy was a tad evasive and reminded everyone what happened during the 2010 edition in Delhi, which was marred by allegations of corruption.

At this point, Krishna stepped in to say that all possibilities would be considered. A few questions on politics were also thrown at him but Reddy maintained that he was only there to “answer sporting questions today”. “Rs 3181 crore has been spent on developing sports infrastructure by our government,” he said.