Ahmedabad: The spotlight will shift to 2030 hosts Ahmedabad at the closing ceremony of the Glasgow Games on Sunday when the city receives the Commonwealth Games flag and host baton in a ceremonial handover. Ahmedabad will stage the centenary Games, which began with the first edition in Hamilton, Canada, in 1930.
The closing ceremony will also have a strong Indian flavour in the cultural performances. The Gujarat deputy chief minister Harsh Sanghavi is attending the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
According to Commonwealth Sport, the King’s baton relay for the 2030 Games will travel across all 74 Commonwealth nations and territories. For the first time in the Commonwealth Games history, each nation and territory will receive its own baton, allowing it to be customised and decorated to reflect its unique culture, heritage and creativity. The baton relay was introduced at the 1958 CWG in Cardiff.
According to a Gujarat government release, the handover segment at the closing ceremony will be presented in three acts. The opening act will commemorate the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram. The second will feature a classical Indian jugalbandi by sitar maestro Rishabh Rikhiram Sharma and celebrated Scottish piper Ross Ainslie, symbolically connecting Glasgow 2026 and Ahmedabad 2030. The final act will present a visual journey across India, with focus on Gujarat.
Glasgow 2026 chief marketing and ceremonies officer Louisa Mahon said the handover segment the audiences in Glasgow will get their first glimpse of what awaits them when Ahmedabad stages the centennial edition.
Director of Ceremonies for Glasgow 2026, Chanda Singh, said the handover ceremony has been designed to present an India that is confident while remaining deeply connected to its traditions.
