New Zealand sports bodies assess Ahmedabad's sports infra ahead of future global events
Ahmedabad, May 29
Senior representatives from leading New Zealand sports organisations visited Ahmedabad on Friday to assess the city's sports infrastructure and review facilities under development for future international multi-sport events, including preparations for the proposed Commonwealth Games in 2030.
The delegation toured the Adani Sports Centre at the Sabarmati Riverfront and the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Naranpura as part of a broader visit to sports infrastructure projects in India.
The visit was organised by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) in coordination with Gujarat Sports Infrastructure Development (GSID).
Officials said the delegation sought detailed information on the planning and development of AMC's sports infrastructure, including the time taken to build the facilities, budget allocations, operational use, and future expansion plans.
The delegation included representatives from Athletics New Zealand, Hockey New Zealand, Swimming New Zealand, Bowls New Zealand, and New Zealand Cricket.
According to AMC officials, the delegation visited the Adani Sports Centre at the Ahmedabad Riverfront at 9 a.m. on May 29.
Coordination for the visit was handled by Amrutesh Aurangabadkar, IAS, Deputy Municipal Commissioner of Sabarmati Riverfront Development Corporation Limited (SRFDCL), along with Deepak Patel, General Manager (Administration-SRFDCL), and Sushant Bhatt, Deputy General Manager (Marketing-SRFDCL).
The delegation later visited the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Naranpura at 10:30 a.m.
Coordination at the venue was overseen by Nileshkumar Patel, Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Fire), and Rushi Pandya, In-charge City Engineer and Additional City Engineer for the West Zone.
AMC officials said the purpose of the visit was to provide the delegation with an overview of the city's sports infrastructure and preparations for hosting large-scale sporting events in the future.
Officials also briefed the delegation on the utilisation of the facilities and the planning framework adopted for sports infrastructure development in Ahmedabad.
In preparation for the visit, AMC instructed concerned departments to ensure all necessary arrangements, including transport and logistical support.
Akash Sathwara, Assistant Manager, was appointed nodal officer on behalf of AMC for the programme, while Aniruddh Desai, District Sports Development Officer, Ahmedabad City, coordinated the visit on behalf of GSID.
— IANS
Reader Comments
As someone from New Zealand, I'm genuinely impressed by what I've seen of Ahmedabad's planning. The Riverfront stadium is iconic. Hope this leads to more Kiwi-India sports exchanges!
Honestly, while Ahmedabad is doing well, we need more transparency about these budgets. ₹? The Sabarmati project costs must be tracked properly. But yes, good move for 2030 Commonwealth Games prep! 👏
Cricket, hockey, athletics - all covered in that delegation! Hope they also looked at swimming pools and multi-purpose halls. Ahmedabad has serious potential. Jai Hind! 🇮🇳
I'm from Auckland, and I've worked on sports venue planning. Ahmedabad's approach is methodical. The Riverfront is a fantastic public-private partnership model. Kiwi sports bodies should learn from this!
Visiting Veer Savarkar complex too! That's good - shows they're looking at existing facilities, not just new ones. But hope AMC maintains these properly post-event. Too many stadiums become white elephants.
Impressed that Auckalnd's organisers are looking to India for partnership. Ahmedabad's climate might be different, but their infrastructure planning
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