Gandhinagar: With an eye on hosting the 2036 Olympics in the state, the Gujarat government aims to showcase its capability to successfully host international sporting events over the next decade. Moving in that direction, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will host Commonwealth Games Federation President Chris Jenkins in the state capital on Thursday. Jenkins will be accompanied by Adille Sumariwalla, President of the Athletics Federation of India.

Jenkins is on a visit to India and had attended the opening ceremony of the 38th National Games in Dehradun. CM Patel is expected to hold detailed discussions with Jenkins, with senior government officials also in attendance. The former Welsh rower, who was elected president of the Commonwealth Games Federation in 2023, is scheduled to visit existing and under-construction sports infrastructure in Ahmedabad. He will be inspecting the world’s largest Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera, the Transtadia Complex at Kankaria, and the International Sports Complex at Naranpura, being developed at a cost of ₹700 crore. Chris Jenkins is also scheduled to participate in the 1st International Olympic Research Conference at Rashtriya Raksha University in Gandhinagar on Thursday.

India has previously hosted the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010, while the most recent edition was held in Birmingham, UK, in 2022. With the next edition set to take place in Glasgow, UK, in 2026, Gujarat can focus on bringing the Commonwealth Games to the state as a step toward hosting the Olympics in 2036. DeshGujarat