Commonwealth Games 2026: Key Sports Dropped, India’s Medal Hopes Dented
Commonwealth Games 2026: Key Sports Dropped, Dealing Blow to India’s Medal Hopes
In a significant setback for India’s aspirations at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, host city Glasgow has announced a revised roster of 10 disciplines, excluding key sports such as hockey, badminton, wrestling, cricket, and shooting. This decision has raised concerns about the impact on India’s medal tally, as these sports have historically contributed a substantial number of medals.
The move is part of Glasgow’s efforts to keep the event budget-friendly and streamline logistics. The Games will be held across four venues, with a total of nine fewer events compared to the 2022 Birmingham edition. The pruned roster includes Athletics and Para Athletics, Swimming and Para Swimming, Artistic Gymnastics, Track Cycling and Para Track Cycling, Netball, Weightlifting and Para Powerlifting, Boxing, Judo, Bowls and Para Bowls, and 3×3 Basketball and 3×3 Wheelchair Basketball.
The exclusion of hockey, badminton, wrestling, cricket, and shooting is a major blow to India’s medal prospects. Hockey has been a consistent medal-winner for India, with the men’s team claiming three silver and two bronze medals, while the women’s team has also shone, clinching three medals, including a historic gold in 2002. Badminton has been another strong suit for India, with an impressive 31 medals to its name, including 10 gold, eight silver, and 13 bronze.
Wrestling has also been a fruitful sport for India, yielding 114 medals, including 49 gold, 39 silver, and 26 bronzes. Cricket’s reintroduction in 2022 saw the Indian women’s team claim a silver medal. Shooting was a stronghold for India, with a staggering 135 medals, including 63 gold, 44 silver, and 28 bronze.
The absence of these sports will significantly reduce India’s chances of achieving a high medal count. The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has acknowledged the setback, stating that the roster is a “massive setback to India’s medal prospects.”
Despite the disappointment, the CGF has emphasized that the Games will deliver over 100 million pounds of “inward investment into the city” and is expected to support add an economic value of over 150 million pounds for the region. The body asserted that all this would be possible thanks to a model “that has been specially designed to not require public funding for the delivery of the Games.”