The sports programme for the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Amdavad (Ahmedabad), India is taking shape. Here is exactly what is confirmed, what is still being decided, and why cricket, shooting and even kabaddi matter so much for the home team.
When Amdavad hosts the 2030 Commonwealth Games, it will do so as the centenary edition — a hundred years after the first Games were held in Hamilton, Canada, in 1930. It is also only the second time India has staged the event, after New Delhi 2010. That milestone status is part of why the sports list has drawn so much attention: fans want to know whether India’s medal-winning strengths, from wrestling to shooting to cricket, will be on the programme.
The short version is that Commonwealth Sport has confirmed the Games will feature 15 to 17 sports, and a group of core sports is already locked in. The rest of the programme — including several sports Indian fans care about most — is still being finalised, with the complete line-up due to be announced in 2026. This guide breaks down every category so you can tell the difference between a guaranteed sport and one that is merely under consideration.
Amdavad 2030 at a glance
| Host city | Amdavad (Ahmedabad), Gujarat, India |
| Edition | XXIV Commonwealth Games — the centenary |
| Host confirmed | 26 November 2025, Glasgow |
| Number of sports | 15–17 sports / disciplines |
| Participating nations | Around 74 Commonwealth teams |
| Main venue | Narendra Modi Stadium precinct |
| Previous India edition | Delhi 2010 (India’s best-ever, 101 medals) |
| Full programme announced | Expected during 2026 |
How the 2030 sports programme is decided
Under Commonwealth Sport’s new “Games Reset” framework, a host no longer inherits a fixed 20-sport programme. Instead, the sports fall into three buckets, and the final list is assembled from them within the 15–17 limit:
- Core sports — a set of sports every host must include.
- Optional sports — a menu the host may choose from, subject to Commonwealth Sport’s approval.
- Additional sports — up to two extra sports a host can propose for cultural or local reasons, provided they meet Commonwealth Sport’s eligibility rules.
There is one more rule that shapes the whole list. Among the three big team sports — Hockey, Rugby Sevens and Cricket T20 — at least two must appear on the programme. The third can still be added as an optional sport. That single condition is the reason cricket’s place at an Indian Games is looking so likely, without yet being official.
Confirmed core sports for Commonwealth Games 2030
These are the guaranteed foundation of Amdavad 2030. Each is a designated core sport, and where a para discipline exists it is integrated into the same programme rather than run as a separate event.
| Sport | Para discipline | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Athletics | Para Athletics | Core |
| Swimming | Para Swimming | Core |
| Table Tennis | Para Table Tennis | Core |
| Bowls | Para Bowls | Core |
| Weightlifting | Para Powerlifting | Core |
| Artistic Gymnastics | — | Core |
| Netball | — | Core |
| Boxing | — | Core |
| Track Cycling | — | Core, if venue available |
Two of these carry good news for India. Table Tennis and Weightlifting have both been reliable medal sources at recent Games, and their core status means they are certain to feature. Boxing, another Indian strong suit, is also guaranteed.
The one asterisk is Track Cycling. It is officially a core sport, but its inclusion depends on a suitable velodrome being available to the host — so it is best described as conditionally confirmed rather than certain.
The three big team sports: cricket, hockey and rugby sevens
This is the most closely watched decision on the whole programme. Commonwealth Sport requires that at least two of these three sports be selected, with the option to include the third as well:
| Sport | Why it matters for 2030 | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Cricket T20 | Enormous audience in a host nation obsessed with the game; only the women’s event featured at Birmingham 2022. | Large team sport |
| Hockey | Deep Indian heritage; the bid was even submitted on National Sports Day, honouring hockey legend Dhyan Chand. | Large team sport |
| Rugby Sevens | A fast, broadcast-friendly format with strong pull across the wider Commonwealth. | Large team sport |
Read this carefully: because two of the three are mandatory, it is almost certain that at least two of cricket, hockey and rugby sevens will be played at Amdavad 2030. But which two — or whether all three make it — has not been officially confirmed. Treat any site that lists cricket as “confirmed” with caution until the final programme is published.
Optional sports under consideration
Beyond the core list, Commonwealth Sport has published a menu of optional sports the host can pick from. Several of these are among India’s most successful disciplines, which is why the optional round matters as much to the medal table as the core sports do.
| Optional sport | India relevance |
|---|---|
| Shooting | Historically one of India’s biggest medal mines; its absence hurt India at Birmingham 2022. |
| Wrestling | A perennial Indian strength across weight categories. |
| Badminton | A marquee sport for Indian fans and a consistent podium finisher. |
| Squash | India has produced world-class players and medal contenders. |
| Judo | A growing Indian discipline with youth-level momentum. |
| Archery | Strong Indian pedigree, especially in compound events. |
| Diving | Popular globally; expands the aquatics offering. |
| Rhythmic Gymnastics | Complements the core artistic gymnastics programme. |
| Triathlon & Para Triathlon | An endurance addition with integrated para events. |
| Beach Volleyball | A crowd-friendly format used at recent Games. |
| 3×3 Basketball & 3×3 Wheelchair Basketball | The compact, fast-growing basketball format. |
| Cycling — Road, Mountain Bike, Para Track | Road and off-road disciplines, separate from core track cycling. |
For an Indian audience, the two names to watch here are shooting and wrestling. Both were dropped from the reduced Glasgow 2026 programme, and both are exactly the kind of sport India will push to reinstate to boost its medal count on home soil.
The India factor: which sports could shape the medal tally
India’s Commonwealth Games record is built on a familiar cluster of sports. Understanding that cluster tells you which programme decisions will decide how India performs in 2030.
India’s strongest and most consistent medal sports at recent Games have been shooting, wrestling, weightlifting, badminton, table tennis and boxing. Of these, weightlifting, table tennis and boxing are already locked in as core sports. The prize additions India will lobby hardest for are shooting and wrestling from the optional list — the two that most directly widen the country’s medal ceiling.
The pattern is easy to see in the numbers. At Delhi 2010, with a full programme including shooting, India won a record 101 medals. When shooting was removed at Birmingham 2022, the haul dropped to 61. The composition of the Amdavad 2030 list, therefore, isn’t just trivia — it is one of the biggest single factors in how high India finishes on the table.
Traditional Indian sports India wants to add
The “additional sports” rule — up to two host-proposed sports — is where Amdavad 2030 could look distinctly Indian. Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has publicly named the traditional sports India hopes to bring in, and they have become one of the most talked-about angles of these Games.
- Kabaddi — India’s flagship indigenous sport, already a professional-league success at home.
- Kho-Kho — a fast, tag-based team sport with growing international structure.
- Yogasana — competitive yoga, positioned as a cultural showcase.
- Mallakhamb — a striking gymnastic-strength discipline performed on a pole or rope.
Only two additional sports can be proposed, and each must clear Commonwealth Sport’s eligibility criteria. So while all four are in the conversation, at most two of these traditional sports can actually make the 2030 programme — and their inclusion is not yet confirmed.
Para sports at Commonwealth Games 2030
The Commonwealth Games is one of the few global multi-sport events to fully integrate para sport into the main programme rather than staging it separately. Amdavad 2030 continues that approach. The confirmed core para disciplines include Para Athletics, Para Swimming, Para Table Tennis, Para Bowls and Para Powerlifting, with further para events — such as Para Triathlon and wheelchair 3×3 basketball — possible depending on which optional sports are selected.
Full Commonwealth Games 2030 sports list
Here is the complete current picture in one place — every sport in the framework and its status heading into the final programme decision.
| Sport / discipline | Status |
|---|---|
| Athletics & Para Athletics | Core |
| Swimming & Para Swimming | Core |
| Table Tennis & Para Table Tennis | Core |
| Bowls & Para Bowls | Core |
| Weightlifting & Para Powerlifting | Core |
| Artistic Gymnastics | Core |
| Netball | Core |
| Boxing | Core |
| Track Cycling | Core, subject to venue |
| Cricket T20 | Team sport (2 of 3 required) |
| Hockey | Team sport (2 of 3 required) |
| Rugby Sevens | Team sport (2 of 3 required) |
| Archery | Optional |
| Badminton | Optional |
| 3×3 Basketball & 3×3 Wheelchair Basketball | Optional |
| Beach Volleyball | Optional |
| Cycling — Road | Optional |
| Cycling — Mountain Bike | Optional |
| Cycling — Para Track | Optional |
| Diving | Optional |
| Judo | Optional |
| Rhythmic Gymnastics | Optional |
| Shooting | Optional |
| Squash | Optional |
| Triathlon & Para Triathlon | Optional |
| Wrestling | Optional |
| Up to 2 host-proposed sports (e.g. kabaddi, kho-kho) | Additional, if approved |
This reflects the Commonwealth Sport framework and the sports officially available for Amdavad 2030. It is not the final event schedule — the confirmed line-up will be narrower than this full menu.
How 2030 compares to Glasgow 2026 and Birmingham 2022
Amdavad 2030 marks a deliberate return to a broader Games after a deliberately compact Glasgow 2026. The contrast explains why anticipation is so high.
| Edition | Host | Approx. sports | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham 2022 | England | 19 | Large, traditional programme |
| Glasgow 2026 | Scotland | 10 | Stripped-down, cost-saving Games |
| Amdavad 2030 | India | 15–17 | Rebuilt, mid-sized centenary programme |
In other words, 2030 sits between the two: bigger than Glasgow’s slimmed-down edition, but leaner than Birmingham’s sprawling schedule — a reset that gives the host real say over which sports make the cut.
India at the Commonwealth Games: a quick medal history
India has finished among the top nations at every recent edition, and the numbers show how much the sports list influences the outcome.
| Games | Medals | Finish |
|---|---|---|
| Manchester 2002 | 69 (30 gold) | 4th |
| Delhi 2010 | 101 (38 gold) | 2nd — best ever |
| Birmingham 2022 | 61 (22 gold) | 4th |
| Glasgow 2026 | 39 | 4th (reduced Games) |
Delhi 2010 remains the only time India has crossed 100 medals at a single Games. With a home crowd and, potentially, the return of shooting and wrestling, Amdavad 2030 is where India will chase that mark again. (We cover this in depth in our dedicated guide to India’s Commonwealth Games medal history.)
When will the final sports list be confirmed?
The complete Amdavad 2030 programme has not yet been finalised. After confirming Amdavad as host in November 2025, Commonwealth Sport said the process to settle the remaining sports would begin shortly, with the full centenary line-up to be announced during 2026. Until then, the honest picture is:
- Confirmed core: Athletics, Swimming, Table Tennis, Bowls, Weightlifting, Artistic Gymnastics, Netball and Boxing (plus their para disciplines).
- Conditional core: Track Cycling, if a suitable venue is available.
- Very likely: at least two of Cricket T20, Hockey and Rugby Sevens.
- Under consideration: the optional sports, including shooting and wrestling.
- Possible extras: up to two traditional Indian sports such as kabaddi or kho-kho.
Commonwealth Games 2030 sports — frequently asked questions
How many sports will be at the Commonwealth Games 2030? The Amdavad 2030 Commonwealth Games are planned to feature 15 to 17 sports and disciplines, drawn from the core, optional and additional categories under Commonwealth Sport’s framework.
Which sports are confirmed for Commonwealth Games 2030? Athletics, Swimming, Table Tennis, Bowls, Weightlifting, Artistic Gymnastics, Netball and Boxing are confirmed core sports, along with their para disciplines. Track Cycling is a core sport subject to a suitable venue being available.
Is cricket confirmed for Commonwealth Games 2030? Not officially yet. Cricket T20 is one of three large team sports — with hockey and rugby sevens — of which at least two must be included. Cricket is widely expected to feature at an Indian-hosted Games, but the final decision has not been announced.
Will hockey be played at Commonwealth Games 2030? Hockey is one of the three large team sports, at least two of which must appear on the programme. Its inclusion is likely but not yet confirmed.
Is shooting back for Commonwealth Games 2030? Shooting is on the optional-sports list, meaning the host can select it. India is expected to push strongly for its inclusion, since shooting is one of the country’s biggest medal sources, but it is not yet confirmed.
Will kabaddi be in the Commonwealth Games 2030? Possibly. India can propose up to two additional sports, and officials have named kabaddi, kho-kho, yogasana and Mallakhamb as candidates. At most two of these can be selected, and any inclusion is subject to Commonwealth Sport’s approval.
When will the final Commonwealth Games 2030 sports list be announced? Commonwealth Sport has said the full centenary programme will be confirmed during 2026, after the host-selection process concluded in late 2025.
This page is updated as Commonwealth Sport and the Amdavad 2030 organising team confirm sports, disciplines and venues. Sources: Commonwealth Sport (Games Reset Sport Programme framework and 2030 host announcement), and reporting from Olympics.com, The Print and Indian sports ministry statements.
