Gandhinagar: Gujarat govt and govt of India have submitted a formal Expression of Interest (EoI) to Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) for hosting the 2038 edition of the Asian Games in Ahmedabad. The 2030 edition of the Asian Games will be held at Doha in Qatar, while the 2034 Asian Games will be hosted by Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.Officials of state govt – M Thennarasan, principal secretary, urban development department, and Rahul Kumar, secretary, sports department – are part of the govt of India team at the ongoing Asian Games being held at Aichi-Nagoya in Japan, where they are studying various aspects of organising the games.“A formal expression of interest has been submitted to the Olympic Council of Asia, which is the official organizer and supervisor of the Asian Games. The 2030 and 2034 editions of the Games have already been allotted to host cities,” a senior functionary of state govt confirmed to TOI.Official sources said state govt is optimistic of Ahmedabad being chosen as the host city for the 2038 Asian Games, as the city will already have both a robust infrastructure and the logistical capabilities to host international multi-sport events.“Ahmedabad has already hosted a few international sporting events. In 2030, the city will host the Commonwealth Games as well and India has already made a formal bid for hosting the 2036 Olympics. The state govt is positive about the prospect of Ahmedabad hosting the 2038 Asian Games,” said a senior govt official.Ahmedabad is building a major sports infrastructure ecosystem ahead of the proposed 2030 Commonwealth Games and India’s bid for the 2036 Olympics. The centrepiece will be Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave near Narendra Modi Stadium, planned with an aquatics centre, tennis centre, multi-purpose arenas, athlete accommodation and a high-performance sports institute.Besides, Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Naranpura, built at about Rs 825 crore, has international- standard facilities for several sporting events. State govt is also implementing other projects as it prepares to host the 2030 edition of the Commonwealth Games.
