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Commonwealth Sport Director of Sport, Ann Louise Morgan, along with Neil Carney, Technical Consultant to Commonwealth Sport, on April 9, 2026, visited Ahmedabad's Vijayi Bharat Foundation's (VBF) to take a tour of the facility and understand the workings of the centre.
Morgan and Carney are part of the high-level delegation that is currently visiting Gujarat to take stock of the preparations for the 2030 Commonwealth Games, marking their first engagement since the city was officially announced as the host of the Centenary Games. Accompanied by Olympic medallist Gagan Narang and VBF Directors Durgesh Agarwal and Dilip Thaker, the duo undertook a tour of the VBF campus, including its High - Performance Centre (HPC) and various Fields of Plays (FOPs). They also expressed their appreciation for VBF's contribution to the development of sports through its grassroots initiative - Khele Sanand, and especially for the gender equity in VBF's high-performance programmes through active efforts towards supporting young women athletes in good numbers. The delegation, led by Dr. Donald Rukare, the President of Commonwealth Sport, is currently in India to assess Amdavad's infrastructure, plan timelines, and check venue suitability. The visit is part of the review process as part of initial coordination efforts with the host nation and authorities. The 2030 Commonwealth Games will mark the centenary of the event and are expected to boost India's prospects for hosting the 2036 Olympics. The International Olympic Association (IOA) confirmed that Commonwealth Sport awarded the 2030 centenary Games hosting rights to Ahmedabad, recognising the city as the host to mark 100 years since the inaugural Games in Hamilton, Canada, in 1930. The first Commonwealth Games, in 1930 in Hamilton, featured a small number of countries competing, while the most recent Games, in Birmingham, England, in 2022, were dominated by Australia at the top of the medal table, followed by England, Canada, India, and New Zealand. (ANI)
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