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India's hopes of winning medals at the upcoming 2026 Commonwealth Games are facing a blow, as the host city, Glasgow, has eliminated hockey, badminton, cricket, shooting, and wrestling from the list of games. According to the roster released by the host city, only ten sports were included. Table tennis, squash, and triathlon are among the other sports that got eliminated.
Weightlifting and para powerlifting, boxing, judo, bowls and para bows, artistic gymnastics, swimming and para-swimming, track cycling and para track cycling, netball, athletics and Para-athletics (track & field), and 3x3 basketball and 3x3 wheelchair basketball are among the events on the list.
The 23rd Commonwealth Games will take place in Glasgow between July 23 and August 2, 2026. Glasgow last held the Games in 2014, and this will be the fourth time the Commonwealth Games will be held in Scotland. Prior to this, Edinburgh hosted the games in 1970 and 1986.
What made Glasgow axe these sports?
Although there has yet to be an official confirmation regarding the reason behind removing these sports, reports say that axing these games will reduce the event's budget. To facilitate logistics, the CWG 2026 will only be held at four locations "within an eight-mile corridor": Scottish Event Campus, Tollcross International Swimming Centre, Emirates Arena (which includes the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome), and Scotstoun Stadium.
Moreover, traditionally, the Commonwealth Games format consisted of only 10 sports, which expanded to 15-20 post-1998. So, the host city is keen to bring back the traditional gaming format. The fact that the games are taking place only two weeks before the Hockey World Cup may be another factor in the elimination of hockey, in addition to cost-cutting.
The updated roster is a significant blow to India's chance to win maximum medals
If we go back in history, India has always clinched the maximum number of medals in CWG events. Hockey, badminton, wrestling, shooting, and others have been India's passport to winning medals.
India won 61 medals at Birmingham four years ago, including 22 gold, 16 silver, and 23 bronze, placing them fourth in the medal count. Twelve of these were in wrestling, while six were in badminton. India has excelled at wrestling, winning 114 medals overall—49 gold, 39 silver, and 26 bronze. At the 2022 Commonwealth Games, hosted in Birmingham, India won 135 medals in shooting, including 28 bronzes, 44 silvers, and 63 golds. So, axing important games can reduce India's chance of winning medals.
