CWG 2026: The reshuffle will significantly impact India’s medal tally, as the country’s strongest gold medal prospects lie primarily in athletics, para-athletics, boxing, and weightlifting.
Source: The Indian Express
Six of the 12 disciplines in which India won medals at the 2022 Commonwealth Games — contributing 37 of the 61 medals — have been excluded from the 2026 edition, it was announced on Tuesday.
For the 2026 Commonwealth Games (CWG), set to be held in Glasgow, badminton, cricket, hockey, squash, table tennis, and wrestling have been dropped. This follows the earlier exclusion of shooting and archery — two sports in which India has historically excelled — from the 2022 edition held in Birmingham.
The 2026 CWG will feature only 10 sports and around 3,000 athletes, significantly scaled down compared to the Birmingham Games, which included 19 sports and nearly 5,000 athletes. The event will take place from July 23 to August 2.
In a statement, the Glasgow CWG organisers confirmed the sports programme, which will include athletics and para-athletics, boxing, bowls and para-bowls, swimming and para-swimming, artistic gymnastics, track cycling and para-track cycling, netball, weightlifting and para-powerlifting, judo, 3×3 basketball, and 3×3 wheelchair basketball.
The decision sparked strong criticism from Indian sports officials. Former CWG medallist and Indian Olympic Association executive council member Gagan Narang called the move “disheartening.”
“I can understand the disappointment for shooters who were preparing for this event. I am also saddened that several other disciplines, which are strong medal prospects for India, are not included in the 2026 CWG,” Narang said.
Badminton legend and national coach Pullela Gopichand expressed his frustration, saying he was “deeply appalled and disappointed by the decision.”
“It is vital that we raise our voices and address this issue with the relevant authorities to ensure that badminton continues to thrive and inspire future generations. We cannot let such shortsighted decisions undermine the hard-earned progress we’ve made,” Gopichand added.
Badminton has been a part of every CWG since 1966, while squash and hockey joined the programme in 1998. Table tennis has been a staple of the Games since 2002. The exclusion of these events marks a rare occurrence where no racquet sports are included in a multi-sport event.
Interestingly, shooting was part of the initial programme when Victoria, Australia, was the original host before it withdrew due to high costs. Glasgow stepped in as a last-minute replacement and trimmed several events to keep the Games within budget.
Victoria had originally been slated to host the 2026 CWG, but pulled out citing prohibitive expenses. With Glasgow operating on a tight budget, organisers decided to limit the Games to just four venues. This decision represents a shift, as the sports programme was finalised based on available venues rather than selecting sports first and then building venues.
The Glasgow organisers said they will use four venues within an 8-mile radius to cut down on transport and security costs. Athletes and support staff will be accommodated in hotels instead of a traditional Games Village to further reduce expenses.
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