New Delhi: Legendary badminton Pullela Gopichand and Vimal Kumar on Tuesday expressed anger over the decision to omit badminton from the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games and urged the country to boycott the event.
India’s CWG medal hopes were dealt a huge blow after sports such as hockey, badminton, wrestling, table tennis and cricket, were axed from the 2026 edition hosted by Glasgow. The host city, on Tuesday, revealed a curtailed list of 10 sports disciplines aimed at keeping the event budget-friendly and free of operational risks. Several medal-yielding sports that have brought success for India in the past editions were cut off from the list.
Gopichand, former shuttler and current chief national coach, said that the move is aimed at “stunting” India’s progress.
The decision to cut off nine sports has come as a shock for the Indian sports fraternity with Gopichand and Vimal coming out with angry reactions.
“There is no need for CWG. In my opinion, they should do away with it. It is better to organise the Olympics and Asian Games than CWG. It is pathetic, I am really disappointed. CWG is losing its charm, it’s relevance, so I feel strongly we shouldn’t send out a team for CWG, it is not required,” former India coach Vimal told PTI.
After Victoria’s withdrawal as host city due to a massive increase in projected costs, the CWG 2026 was relocated to the Scottish capital, which agreed to stage a watered-down version of the event.
As a result, the 2026 edition will feature just 10 events – nine less than the previous edition held in 2022 in Birmingham.
Shooting, which was axed in the previous edition continues to be excluded while squash and archery are also not part of the Glasgow edition.
Gopichand slams CWG 2026 organisers
Gopichand, who is often credited for the growth of badminton in the country, described the move by the games’ organisers’ as appalling.
“I am deeply appalled and disappointed by the decision to exclude badminton from the 2026 Commonwealth Games — a judgment that appears to be aimed at stunting the progress of nations like India,” the ex-All-England champion said.
The revised list includes 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.
Badminton, which has featured in every edition of the CWG since 1966, has delivered a whopping 31 medals – 10 gold, eight silver, and 13 bronze for the country over the years. Due to the omission of badminton, India won’t be able to enter the Glasgow CWG as defending champions in men’s, women’s singles and men’s doubles categories.
With almost all medal-yielding events axed from the CWG 2026 roster, India will rest its hopes on sports like athletics, boxing and weightlifting. Meanwhile, the Indian women’s fours team will enter the Lawn Bowls event as defending champions following their historic victory in South Africa in the final in Birmingham. In the men’s category, India will aim to upgrade the silver medal to gold in Glasgow.
