Deepika Kumari, Tarundeep Rai Back ‘Bigger, Better' CWG 2030; Hopeful of Archery's Return

India's preparations for the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad have already sparked optimism among athletes, with senior archers Deepika Kumari and Tarundeep Rai backing a "bigger and better" edition and expressing hope for archery's return to the programme.

The 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow will be a curtailed edition, featuring only 10 disciplines and six para sports. However, when India hosts the event in 2030, the expectation is for a significantly expanded programme, with medal-rich sports such as shooting, wrestling, badminton and archery likely to make a comeback.

When India last hosted the Games in 2010 in New Delhi, the country delivered one of its strongest performances, with major contributions coming from shooting, wrestling, archery and badminton. Archery alone fetched eight medals, underlining its importance in India's Commonwealth Games success.

Reflecting on that landmark edition, Deepika Kumari recalled how the 2010 Games shaped her career and elevated the sport's profile in the country. She became India's first-ever women's individual recurve gold medallist at the event, a moment that marked the beginning of her rise on the global stage.

"2010 Commonwealth Games was a huge kick in my career as a 16-year-old became a champion in a discipline not so popular. I didn't understand the value of the achievement at that time but in my opinion archery received a huge boost due to that. A lot of Indians got to know about the sport of archery after my accomplishments in the Commonwealth Games," Deepika said.

She also highlighted how hosting the Games helped expose Indian audiences to a wide range of sports, creating awareness and inspiring participation. Looking ahead to 2030, she believes India can surpass its previous standards as a host nation.

"The way we had organised CWG in 2010, I believe it will be bigger and better in 2030 and archery makes a return then. We archers haven't competed in the multi-nation event since the Delhi edition and hopefully archery makes a comeback," she added.

Tarundeep Rai, who won a bronze medal in the men's recurve team event at the 2010 Games, emphasised the long-term impact of hosting major sporting events on infrastructure and grassroots participation. According to him, the transformation in Indian archery since 2010 has been remarkable.

"2010 Commonwealth Games was a very exciting moment for me. I witnessed a huge transformation in the archery community thereafter. There were changes in terms of infrastructure and individual strength in terms of skills and knowledge. At that time we had around 400 archers in the country now the number has swelled to more than 30,000 active archers," Tarundeep said.

He further pointed out that the depth of talent in Indian archery has increased significantly, with a large pool of athletes capable of competing at the highest level.

"There are 100 archers who can make it to the Indian team on any given day due to their consistency and form, which is a huge difference after 2010 CWG," he added.

Tarundeep also believes that hosting the 2030 Games will provide a major boost to India's sporting ecosystem, encouraging more youngsters to take up sports professionally.

"India is set to host the CWG in 2030 which is a very happy moment for all Indian sportspersons like me. I feel if India could host an event of this magnitude every five or 10 years that will make a huge difference to the sports ecosystem. Due to the staging of CWG in 2030 a lot of new talent, new kids will pick up sports as a career," he said.

Former Olympian and Commonwealth Games medallist Jayanta Talukdar echoed similar sentiments, highlighting how the 2010 Games led to increased sponsorship, improved infrastructure and greater participation in archery.

"A lot of new academies and players got added after 2010 CWG as parents saw that we had won a lot of medals in archery. The Archery Association of India and players started getting a lot of sponsors. So, the graph of Indian archery only improved after that," Jayanta said.

He expressed confidence that India will deliver strong performances in 2030, especially with a new generation of archers being mentored by experienced athletes.

"We will be hosting the 2030 CWG and I am confident that our performance will be great whether it is recurve or compound as there is a lot of motivation when you are competing in front of your home crowd. Also, many top archers are already mentoring young talent who will be ready to take on the world by then," he added.

With India set to host the Commonwealth Games once again, the return of archery could not only boost medal prospects but also further strengthen the sport's growth in the country, much like it did after the 2010 edition.