New Delhi: Hockey is reportedly said to be dropped from the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland, though the schedule and selection of sports are officially yet to be confirmed. The International Hockey Federation (FIH) and the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) haven’t raised any objection on it.
The future of CWG was a major concern after Australian state Victoria pulled out of the hosting rights citing excessive costs to host the quadrennial event. Glasgow chipped in as a last-minute saver by signing a rescue deal to host a slimmed down version of the event.
According to a report by BBC, the CWG 2026 will only see 10 sports being hosted across four venues in the Scottish city. The potential reason for Hockey’s omission can also be connected with the fact that the men’s Hockey World Cup will be hosted from August 15, 2026, to August 30, 2026, in Belgium and Netherlands. The tournament is lined up just two weeks after the CWG, which will be held from July 23 to August 2 in that year.
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Commonwealth Arena and Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, Scotstoun Stadium, Tollcross International Swimming Centre and Scottish Events Campus are the four designated venues selected to host the showpiece event. None of these venues have a hockey turf.
As a result, Hockey won’t be part of the Games for the first time since it made its debut in 1998 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
What does FIH and CGF have to say on this?
The International Hockey Federation has declined to comment and will await for the official roster to be announced.
“In a couple of days, the situation will be clear – you will get the information accordingly. From our side, until there is any official communication from CGF, we are not in a position to provide you any comment,” an FIH official said, as quoted by news agency PTI.
The Commonwealth Games Federation officials also wanted to wait for the announcement and refused to comment on the potential axing of hockey.
“The sports programme for the 2026 Commonwealth Games will be confirmed tomorrow,” read a statement from the body when it was approached for a clarification on the media reports.
The Indian men’s hockey team has claimed three silver medals at the CWG (2010, 2014 & 2022) across seven editions while the Indian women’s team has won a gold (2002 in Manchester), silver (2006 in Melbourne) and a bronze medal (2022 in Birmingham).
Australia have been the most successful side in the field hockey at CWG, having finished on the podium in each of the seven editions for both men’s and women’s competitions. The Australian men’s team have swept all gold medals from 1998 to 2022 while their women’s team has won four gold, two silver and one bronze.
