04 August,2026 09:36 AM IST | Glasgow | Rohit Mahajan
India javelin star Neeraj Chopra (right) receives the Commonwealth Games Federation flag from Commonwealth Sport President Donald Rukare at the closing ceremony in Glasgow on Sunday. PIC/PTI
Has Glasgow saved the Commonwealth Games? How will Ahmedabad do in 2030? These were the questions foremost in the mind as this year's 11-day jamboree with a reduced number of sports and low budget - CWG Lite - came to an end with a closing ceremony marked by song, light, officialspeak, and some desi tadka.
As the curtains came down on Glasgow 2026 on Sunday night, it seemed possible that CWG can indeed survive, perhaps in the version that Glasgow presented - reduced, efficient, volunteer-driven and with low cost to the public, totalling just Rs 2,100 crore. For perspective, this number pales before the R18,500 crore spent by India for the Delhi CWG 2010. Glasgow 2014 cost the organisers £543 million (Rs 6900 crore), while the bill at Birmingham 2022 was £680 million (Rs 8700 crore).
Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu Gold in 48kg and Para shot putter Soman Rana. Gold in F57 category
Clearly, India organised the most expensive CWG in 2010. And on Sunday night as the Commonwealth flag was handed over to Indian Olympic Association president PT Usha by two-time Olympics and CWG medallist Neeraj Chopra, and she, in turn, gave it to Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, there is every possibility that Ahmedabad 2030 will set a new record for expenses. Blame it on the rupee's drastic fall in the last 16 years, rising costs, and advanced infrastructure in Gujarat's capital city, which is also Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state.
Furthermore, India has bid for the 2036 Olympics, a decision on which will be made by the International Olympic Committee in 2029, a year before the Ahmedabad CWG. So, if the city possesses top-class infrastructure by then, its prospects improve significantly.
Boxer Preeti Pawar Gold in 54 kg and Boxer Sachin Siwach. Gold in 60kg
Coming back to the closing ceremony, there was an unusual jugalbandi between sitarist Rishab Rikhiram Sharma and Ross Ainslie, a renowned Scottish traditional musician and piper, signifying unity and transition from Glasgow to Ahmedabad. The Indian segment also included yoga, while Shankar Mahadevan belted out stirring favourites such as Lehra Do and Hindustani, setting foots tapping at the indoor Hydro arena here. India's presentation, over three acts, underlined the ancient Indian philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam - the world is one family.
India return home from Glasgow with 39 medals - 13 gold, 17 silver, and nine bronze - to end up fourth just ahead of Scotland, who also won 13 gold, but eight fewer silver. The boxers saved India the blushes on the penultimate day (seven gold and three silver). Earlier, two gold medals were won by judokas, rather unexpectedly.
Judoka Asmita Dey. Gold in 48kg
In able-bodied sports, the only other athlete to win gold was Mirabai Chanu in weightlifting. Superstar Neeraj Chopra got a silver, which he'd be pleased with as he's returning from injury. Apart from them, the boxers, judokas and Mirabai, only para-athletes won gold - Sharmila Dhankar (women's shot put F5), Dilip Gavit (men's 100m T47) and Soman Rana (men's shot put F57). At Ahmedabad 2030, with the CWG returning to a full programme, the numbers will definitely swell further.
602
Total number of medals won by India across all Commonwealth Games - 215 gold, 207 silver, and 180 bronze
10
No of medals won by Indian boxers in Glasgow - the most by the country's pugilists at a single Commonwealth Games
