Goodbye Glasgow, hello Ahmedabad: Neeraj Chopra, PT Usha receive CWG flag as India begins road to 2030

The 2030 Games will mark the return of the CWG to India, two decades after New Delhi hosted the event in 2010

After 11 days of riveting action, the curtain finally came down on the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Sunday. At a glittering closing ceremony at the OVO Hydro, the Commonwealth Games flag and baton were formally handed over to India, which will host the landmark Centenary edition in Ahmedabad in 2030.

India's Neeraj Chopra, President of the Indian Olympic Association PT Usha and Gujarat deputy chief minister Harsh Sanghavi receive the flag during the closing ceremony (REUTERS)

The 2030 Games will mark the return of the CWG to India, two decades after New Delhi hosted the event in 2010. India will become only the second nation, after Australia, to host the Games on more than one occasion.

Scotland's officials handed over the Commonwealth flag and baton to India's representatives — Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra, Indian Olympic Association president PT Usha, and Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi.

The ceremony began with a celebration of Scotland's culture before seamlessly transitioning into a vibrant showcase of India's diversity and heritage. The Indian segment packed enough music and dance to rival a Bollywood spectacle. Actor Manushi Chhillar, along with performers from the Shiamak Davar Dance Studio, set the tone before Shankar Mahadevan, joined by his sons Siddharth and Shivam, performed a medley featuring songs ranging from Bhaag Milkha Bhaag to Suno Gaur Se Duniya Waalon.

One of the evening's standout moments was an Indo-Scottish jugalbandi, with musicians and dancers blending the traditions of the two nations. Sitar maestro Rishab Rikhiram Sharma and Scottish musician Ross Ainslie, on the electric flute, delivered a memorable cross-cultural performance.

India signed off from Glasgow with 39 medals — 13 gold, 17 silver and nine bronze. While the tally fell short of the 50-medal benchmark the country had maintained at every Commonwealth Games since 2002, the contingent still extended its streak of finishing inside the top five despite competing in a significantly reduced sporting programme. India ended the Games fourth in the final medals table.

Boxing and athletics led the charge with 10 medals each, with the boxers scripting the greatest-ever performance by any nation in a single Commonwealth Games edition by winning seven gold and three silver medals. Judo produced India's best-ever campaign in the sport, yielding four medals, including two historic golds. Weightlifting added eight medals, highlighted by Mirabai Chanu becoming the first Indian weightlifter to complete a hat-trick of Commonwealth Games gold medals.

India's para athletes also broke new ground. Para athletics accounted for six medals, ending a 20-year wait for an Indian para athletics podium finish at the Commonwealth Games. The contingent produced three double podium finishes across the men's 100m T47 and the men's and women's shot put F57 events, underlining the country's growing strength in para sport.