Big blow for India in 2026 Commonwealth Games as prominent sports gets excluded

CHENNAI: India ended the 2022 Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Birmingham with 61 medals, including 22 gold. Fast forward two years, and the country finds itself in a helpless position as it was announced that seven sports in which India won a total of 30 medals last time won’t feature in the upcoming edition in Glasgow.

India has been on a roll in terms of shooting, bagging a record 22 medals at the Hangzhou Asian Games and four in the recently concluded Paris Olympics, but shooting won't be a part of the 2026 CWG. Reports suggest that National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) chief Kalikesh Deo went to the extent of offering to host the shooting events of the 2026 Games in India but couldn't secure the necessary approvals for the same.

India won a staggering 12 medals in wrestling at the 2022 edition, and this move would be a big blow to Indian wrestlers. "It is naturally very disappointing. India has always been a strong wrestling nation at CWG. It's definitely going to hurt the wrestling community in India," said Sanjay Singh, President of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).

Lakshya Sen, who fell short of a medal at the Paris Olympics, ended the 2022 CWG campaign with a gold, as did PV Sindhu and the duo of Satwik-Chirag in doubles. India would have entered 2026 as the defending champion in badminton, but now, with the sport axed, Badminton Association of India (BAI) Secretary General Sanjay Mishra voiced his opinion, saying that the move feels like a conspiracy to sideline India's rising sporting potential in the region.

Almost 40 medals will go for a toss, with major sports such as hockey and table tennis also missing out. "It is shocking and very disappointing, but it's not in our hands," said Harmanpreet Singh, who led the Indian men's hockey team to a bronze in the Paris Olympics.

The news didn't sit well with Hockey India Secretary General Bhola Nath, who has urged the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to take up the matter. "On our part, we have put our grievances to FIH, and they are taking up the matter with CGF," he said.

Another sport that has made massive strides in the country is squash. Prominent names like Abhay Singh, Harinder Pal Sandhu, and Anahat Singh had all won medals at the Hangzhou Asian Games and would have looked forward to the upcoming CWG edition, as it falls a year before the 2028 LA Olympics, where squash is set to feature for the first time. There is also promising talent emerging in the state, including Velavan Senthilkumar, Pooja Arthi, and Rathika Seelan; the news of squash not being included would have definitely disappointed them as well.

India won 12 medals in table tennis the last time, and multiple Commonwealth Games gold medallist Sharath Kamal said that the move is a significant blow for the entire table tennis fraternity. "It is disappointing to see a mainstream sport like table tennis get excluded; it's a huge loss for us. Hope something can be done," said Sathiyan G.

Asian and Commonwealth Games gold medallist and Arjuna Awardee Deepika Pallikal said: "Whenever it seems like we are moving a few steps forward for the sport, we are suddenly pulled back two steps. It's a huge loss for Commonwealth countries that our sport isn't included."

The 23rd edition of the mega event is set to take place from July 23 to August 2, with a pruned roster of 10 disciplines across four venues within an eight-mile corridor to keep the event budget-friendly. Earlier this year, Scotland stepped in to help Commonwealth organizers host the event after Australia withdrew at the last minute due to rising costs.

India at 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games

61 total medals

2022 - Major medal haul were in:

12 Wrestling

7 Table Tennis

6 Badminton

2 Squash

2 Hockey

1 Cricket (Women's T20)

All these sports won't feature in upcoming 2026 edition