Ahmedabad begins 2030 Commonwealth Games journey with Glasgow baton handover

Ahmedabad will officially take the first step towards hosting the 2030 Commonwealth Games by receiving the Host Baton and Games flag during Sunday's Glasgow closing ceremony. The cultural handover will showcase India's heritage as preparations begin for the centenary edition in 2030

Gandhinagar: Ahmedabad will officially begin its journey as the host of the 2030 Commonwealth Games when the Host Baton and the Commonwealth Games flag are handed over during the closing ceremony of the Glasgow 2026 Games on Sunday, officials said.

“The Host Baton and the Commonwealth Games flag will be formally handed over to Ahmedabad on Sunday during the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow,” an official release said.

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The 2030 edition in Ahmedabad will also coincide with the centenary of the Commonwealth Games, the first edition of which was held in Hamilton, Canada, in 1930.

Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi is attending the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and will be present at the closing ceremony, where Ahmedabad will be welcomed as the next host through a cultural handover segment.

The handover ceremony will feature three acts, the release said.

The first will commemorate the 150th anniversary of ‘Vande Mataram’, followed by a classical Indian jugalbandi featuring sitar player Rishabh Rikhiram Sharma and Scottish piper Ross Ainsley. The final segment will present a cultural journey across India, with a special focus on Gujarat, it said.

The King’s Baton Relay, one of the enduring traditions of the Commonwealth Games, celebrates the diversity of the 74 Commonwealth nations and territories. For the first time, each Commonwealth nation and territory has been given its own baton, allowing it to customise the symbol to reflect its culture and creativity, the release said.

Each baton carries a portion of a message from Britain’s King Charles III, while the individuals chosen to carry it are recognised for their contributions to society, it said. The Baton Relay tradition began in Cardiff in 1958.

“This handover is not a formality. This event will express the spirit of two nations on the same stage. There will be an extraordinary jugalbandi between the sitar and the pipes, which will also include the celebration of ‘Vande Mataram’,” said Glasgow 2026 Chief Marketing and Ceremonies Officer Louisa Mahon.

Glasgow audiences will also be given a first glimpse of what is to come in Ahmedabad 2030, she said.

Chanda Singh, Ceremony Director for the India Handover Segment, said the programme is designed to showcase an India that is confident while remaining rooted in its traditions.

Ahmedabad 2030 will celebrate 100 years of the Commonwealth Games, and the handover ceremony is the first chapter of that journey, Singh added.

Meanwhile, Indian athletes have won 11 gold, 15 silver and eight bronze medals so far at the Commonwealth Games, which began on July 23.