New Delhi: India’s medal hopes at the Commonwealth Games were dealt a massive blow after sports like hockey, badminton, wrestling, and cricket, were axed from the CWG programme for the 2026 edition hosted by Glasgow. The host city has revealed a revised list of 10 sports disciplines aimed at keeping the event budget-friendly, cutting down several sports from the programme which has brought several medals for India in the past editions.
To cut the costs and streamline logistics, table tennis, squash, and triathlon have also been excluded, as the entire event is planned across just four venues in Scotland’s capital. The overall number of events will decrease from 19 to 10 compared to the previous edition in Birmingham four years ago.
In total, six of the 12 sports in which India won a medal in Birmingham have been axed from the 2026 edition. These sports are badminton, cricket, hockey, squash, table tennis and wrestling.
Other sports which have proved fruitful for the country in the past editions but which were not part of the 2022 edition like shooting and archery, continue to remain excluded from the CWG ‘Lite’, which will take place from July 23 to August 2, 2026.
Glasgow CWG organisers announced the sports programme, which will include athletics/para-athletics, boxing, bowls/para-bowls, swimming/para-swimming, artistic gymnastics, track cycling/para-track cycling, netball, weightlifting/para-powerlifting, judo, and 3×3 basketball/3×3 wheelchair basketball.
Huge blow to India’s medal hopes
More than half the medals India won at CWG 2022 (61, including 2022 gold) came in Wrestling (12), Boxing and table tennis (7 each), badminton (6), hockey and squash (2 each), and cricket (1). With none of these sports part of the CWG 2024 programme, India’s medals tally will take a massive hit.
Badminton has been part of every edition of the CWG since 1966, while squash and hockey have been featured on the programme since 1998. Meanwhile, Table Tennis has been played in every edition since 2002. The move to cut down 9 sports also marks a shocking occurrence of no racquet sport being part of the multi-discipline tournament.
Historically, India have been prolific in hockey with the men’s team winning three silver and two bronze medals, while the women’s team claiming three medals, including a historic gold in 2002.
In badminton, India have won a whopping 31 medals – 10 gold, eight silver, and 13 bronze. The axing of badminton means that India won’t be able to enter the 2026 edition as defending champions in men’s and women’s singles and men’s doubles.
Shooting, which was excluded from the 2022 editions as well, has given India an impressive 135 medals, including 63 golds, 44 silvers, and 28 bronzes over the years, while wrestling has delivered 114 medals including 49 gold, 39 silver, and 26 bronze.
Which sports can bring medals for India?
With most of the medal-yielding events excluded, India will rest their hopes on sports like athletics, which will feature the likes of Neeraj Chopra (Javelin), Kishore Jena, and Avinash Sable (steeplechase) among others. In boxing, India’s medal hopes will be dependent on the performances of Nikhat Zareen, Lovlina Borgohain and Shiva Thapa. Meanwhile, defending champions Mirabai Chanu and Jeremy Lalrinnunga will carry India’s medal hopes in weightlifting.
