NEW DELHI: Home minister Amit Shah on Friday welcomed the designation of India as the host country for the 2029 World Police and Fire Games (WPFG), describing it as “a moment of great pride for every Indian citizen”.The biennial games will be held across Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Ekta Nagar in Kevadia, with the participation of over 10,000 athletes representing the police, fire, customs and correctional services from across 70 countries.“Bharat winning the prestigious bid to host the event is a global recognition of our sprawling sports infrastructure built under the leadership of PM Shri @narendramodi Ji. Ahmedabad being selected as the venue of the event that brings together police, fire and disaster services to compete in more than 50 sports, is a testament to the city’s rising stature as a sporting destination,” Shah said in a post on X on Friday.India will be the first South Asian nation to host the WPFG since the games’ inception in 1985. India now joins the elite clubs of past hosts like Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, China and the US.The announcement of India as the 2029 WPFG host followed India’s final presentation to the California Police Athletic Federation (CPAF), the governing body of the games, on June 25 in Birmingham, Alabama.