Glasgow will host the mega-event for the 23rd time from July 23 to August 2, marking the event’s 12th hosting anniversary after the 2014 edition.
In a blow to India’s Commonwealth Games medal aspirations, host city Glasgow has omitted crucial sports such as hockey, badminton, wrestling, cricket, and shooting from the 2026 edition, revealing a pared-down list of ten disciplines to keep the event affordable. Table tennis, squash, cricket, netball, and road racing have all been scrapped in order to cut costs and streamline logistics, as only four sites will host the entire event. The Games will feature nine fewer events than in 2022 in Birmingham.
After hosting the mega-event in 2014, Glasgow will host it again for the 23rd time from July 23 to August 2.
“The sports programme will include Athletics and Para Athletics (Track & Field), Swimming and Para Swimming, Artistic Gymnastics, Track Cycling and Para Track Cycling, Netball, Weightlifting and Para Powerlifting, Boxing, Judo, Bowls and Para Bowls, and 3×3 Basketball and 3×3 Wheelchair Basketball,” the Commonwealth Games Federation said in a release.
Scotstoun Stadium, the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, the Tollcross International Swimming Centre, and Emirates Arena will all host the Games, together with the Scottish Event Campus (SEC). There will be hotel accommodations for athletes and support personnel,” it continued.
India’s medal chances have been severely hampered by the lineup, since the majority of the nation’s medals in previous competitions came from the eliminated disciplines. It was never anticipated that shooting would resume after being removed from the Birmingham program four years prior due to logistical issues.”Glasgow 2026 will feature a 10-sport program concentrated across four venues within an eight-mile corridor,” the CGF stated while releasing the Glasgow schedule.
Since the Barry Buddon Centre in Dundee, the location of the 2014 CWG, is more than 100 kilometers from Glasgow, shooting was ruled off the roster.
The Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre and Glasgow Green, which hosted wrestling and hockey in 2014, have been removed from the list of venues. Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, which hosted badminton last year, will only be used for cycling this time.Beyond the expense, another reason for hockey’s removal might be because the Games are being held so close to the World Cup, which is set for two weeks later in Wavre, Belgium, and Amstelveen, Netherlands, from August 15 to 30. Originally scheduled to host the 2026 edition, the Australian state of Victoria withdrew last year due to growing expenses. After then, Scotland intervened to salvage the Games.
The exclusion of hockey from the Games would be a serious setback for India. In addition to the men’s team’s three silver and two bronze successes, the women’s team has excelled, winning three medals, including a remarkable gold at the 2002 Games.India’s excellent 31 medal haul in badminton includes 10 gold, 8 silver, and 13 bronze.
The country was to be the reigning champions in both the men’s and women’s singles and men’s doubles divisions going into the 2026 tournament.
India was a dominant force in shooting, winning an incredible 135 medals. 63 gold, 44 silver, and 28 bronze were counted.
49 gold, 39 silver, and 26 bronze medals have been won by the country in the wrestling sport.In 2022, when cricket was brought back, the Indian women’s team won a silver medal.
The Games have included para-athletes since the Manchester edition in 2002, and they will be present again in 2026.
“Para sport will once again be fully integrated as a key priority and point of difference for the Games, with six Para sports included on the sport programme,” the CGF announced.
The Games are expected to generate more than 100 million pounds of “inward investment into the city” and contribute more than 150 million pounds to the region’s economic worth, according to the CGF.”This has been specially designed to not require public funding for the delivery of the Games,” the body claimed, adding that the model will make all of this possible. As stated in the press release, “The 2026 Games will serve as a bridge to the Commonwealth Games of the future — an exciting first step in our journey to reset and redefine the Games as a truly collaborative, flexible, and sustainable model for the future that minimizes costs, reduces the environmental footprint, and enhances social impact.”
