CWG 2026's record Para sports programme: What it means for Indian athletes

Glasgow 2026 will feature 47 Para sport medal events, up from 44 at Birmingham 2022, making it the largest integrated Para sport programme in the 96-year history of the Commonwealth Games.

Para sports have been part of the Commonwealth Games since the Manchester 2002 edition. One of the defining features of the Games is that medals won by para-athletes contribute directly to a country's overall medal tally, placing para and able-bodied athletes on the same sporting stage.

For India, Glasgow 2026 presents another opportunity to build on its growing Para sports legacy while competing in the biggest integrated Para sports programme in Commonwealth Games history.

2026 Commonwealth’s record Para Sports Programme

More than 450 para-athletes will compete at Glasgow 2026. To minimise the footprint of the Games, all 47 Para medal events will be held across just four venues in Glasgow, where para-athletes will utilise the same competition venues and warm-up areas as able-bodied athletes.

A para sport medal carries the same value as a medal won by an able-bodied athlete, making the integrated format one of the unique features of the Commonwealth Games.

Glasgow 2026 will also feature the most extensive swimming programme in Commonwealth Games history, with 56 medal events across both Para and non-Para competition.

Para powerlifting will retain its four medal events from Birmingham 2022, while Glasgow will host the biggest track cycling programme ever seen at a Commonwealth Games, with 26 medal events across Para and non-Para disciplines.

The Para Track Cycling programme has doubled in size from Birmingham 2022, with eight medal events available, including the C Time Trials and Individual Pursuit events for the first time.

Meanwhile, the success of the 3x3 basketball programme at Birmingham has led to the expansion of wheelchair basketball, with both the men's and women's competitions increasing from six teams to eight.

Speaking to the BBC, Glasgow 2026 CEO Phil Batty said:

"Para-sport is included in the main schedule of events, unlike the Paralympics, which runs separately to the Olympics. Having completely integrated sport across six of our sports is one of the things that makes us, on the global sporting calendar, a standout moment."

India’s participation

Glasgow 2026 will see India compete across all six Para sports, with a record number of para-athletes representing the country at the Commonwealth Games.

India will compete in:

• Para Athletics
• Para Track Cycling
• 3x3 Wheelchair Basketball
• Para Swimming
• Para Bowls
• Para Powerlifting

Scheduled to be held from July 23 to August 2, the Games will feature 10 disciplines for able-bodied athletes and six Para sports. Para Table Tennis and Para Triathlon are among the events that will not feature at Glasgow 2026.

India's preparations include training camps at the Sports Authority of India centres across the country. Para athletics athletes are training at the National Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, para swimmers are based at SAI centres in Gandhinagar and Delhi, while the 3x3 wheelchair basketball team is preparing at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Training Centre for Disability Sports in Gwalior.

Over the years, the inclusion of para-athletes has led to Aquatics, Athletics, Lawn Bowls and Powerlifting becoming the four core Para disciplines that feature in every Commonwealth Games edition.

Among those expected to represent India is Rakesh Bhatt, one of the country's promising para-athletes, who is set to compete in sprint and track events at Glasgow 2026.

India’s Para Journey at the Commonwealth Games

India has won a total of seven Paralympic medals since making its debut at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002.

India's Para Commonwealth Games medal tally:

• Para Powerlifting – 3 medals (Sachin Chaudhary, Rajinder Rahelu, Sakina Khatun)
  
• Para Table Tennis – 2 medals (Bhavina Patel and Sonalben Patel)
• Para Athletics – 1 medal (Ranjith Kumar Jayaseelan)
• Para Swimming – 1 medal (Prasanta Karmakar)

Ranjith Kumar Jayaseelan made history in 2006 by becoming the first Indian para-athlete to win a Commonwealth Games medal after claiming bronze in the seated discus throw at the Melbourne Games.

Prasanta Karmakar remains the only Indian para-swimmer to finish on the podium at the Commonwealth Games. He won bronze in the Men's 50m freestyle S9 event at the 2010 Delhi Games, clocking 27.48 seconds.

At the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, Rajinder Rahelu and Sakina Khatun secured a silver and a bronze medal, respectively, in Para Powerlifting, adding another milestone to India's growing para sports journey.

Another powerlifter to leave his mark was Sachin Chaudhary. At the 2018 Gold Coast Games, he won bronze in the men's heavyweight category with a combined lift of 181kg.

Birmingham 2022

India enjoyed its best-ever Para Commonwealth Games campaign at Birmingham 2022.

Para table tennis player Bhavina Patel clinched gold in the women's singles Classes 3-5 after defeating Nigeria's Christiana Ikpeoyi in the final.

Meanwhile, Sonalben Manubhai Patel added a bronze medal in the same category after defeating Sue Bailey 3-0 (11-5, 11-2, 11-3).

Para powerlifter Sudhir clinched India's first-ever Commonwealth Games gold in Para Powerlifting in the men's heavyweight category.

However, his medal was later stripped off by an Independent Tribunal following Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs) under the 2022 Commonwealth Games Anti-Doping Rules (ADRs).

Challenges and Opportunities of India at Glasgow 2026

The exclusion of Para Table Tennis is a major setback for India, considering the country won two medals in the discipline at Birmingham 2022.

Despite India possessing world-class Para Badminton and Para Archery athletes, neither sport has ever been included in the Commonwealth Games programme.

Para Track Cycling continues to feature at Glasgow 2026, but the outdoor road cycling discipline has been excluded as part of the cost-cutting measures.

While India sent able-bodied triathletes to the Commonwealth Games for the first time in 2022, Para Triathlon remains absent from the Glasgow programme, with Indian para triathletes yet to qualify through the continental quota pathway.

Another challenge is the limited scope of the Para sports programme itself. With only six Para sports and selected classifications included, opportunities for several athletes remain restricted despite India's growing depth across disciplines.

The Commonwealth Games Federation also enforces a cap on the number of athletes each country can send to the Games Village. As a result, even nations with multiple world-class athletes in a particular discipline are unable to send all eligible competitors because of quota restrictions.

While these limitations reduce opportunities for several Indian para-athletes, Glasgow 2026 still presents the country's biggest integrated Para Commonwealth Games campaign to date.