Sports fraternity laments 'watered down' CWG 2026

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), on Tuesday, dropped hockey, badminton, wrestling, and cricket among nine sports from its 2026 edition of the Commonwealth Games.

The CGF announced that a total of ten disciplines will be part of the Games, down from 19 in the 2022 Birmingham Games.

Major sports dropped from the program include hockey, badminton, shooting, wrestling, cricket, and table tennis.

The development is a massive setback for India's medal prospects as these sports are the country's biggest medal winners in the Commonwealth Games.

The exclusion of the major sports sparked a reaction from the Indian sporting community with coaches, players, and administrators expressing their disappointment over the fiasco.

'Shooting's exclusion disappointing'

Shooting has been one of the most successful sports for Indian at the CWG and after medals at the Paris Olympics, the sport has shot to the limelight.

India has won a total of 135 medals in shooting at the Commonwealth Games and sits in the second position in the all-time medal list at the games.

Shooting was also excluded from the 2022 Birmingham Games but was supposed to be part of the 2026 edition.

Reacting to the exclusion of the sport, National Rifle Association of India President, Kalikesh Singh Deo expressed his disappointment in a statement to the media.

"It is disappointing that shooting hasn’t been included in the CWG. This will be a very different Commonwealth Games with many popular Olympic sports not included in what will be a watered-down version of the Games. We can only wish those who will participate all the best. NRAI offered to host the shooting part of the games in India subject to relevant approvals. In the end, we should rally around and appreciate Scotland’s effort in hosting the Games.”

Former Indian shooter Gagan Narang who won ten medals at the Commonwealth Games took to social media platform X to express his disappointment about the exclusion of the sport.

"I am certainly disappointed shooting is not part of CWG 2026 in Glasgow. Our sport has been out of CWG since 2018 and when Victoria was to host it, shooting was included and now it’s been removed. I can imagine the disappointment for shooters who were preparing for this event," wrote Narang in his post.

'A bad decision'

Another sport where India has won multiple medals at CWG is badminton due to lack of competition with major badminton playing nations absent from the tournament.

However, the games were always a good platform for young Indian shuttlers to showcase their talent and prowess.

Indian national chief coach Pullela Gopichand cited a lack of reasoning behind the decision that will jeopardize the growth of the sport.

"I am deeply appalled and disappointed by the decision to exclude badminton from the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow—a judgment that appears aimed at stunting the progress of nations like India. Badminton has brought us immense pride and success, serving as a vital platform for our brightest talents to shine on the international stage. This decision represents a significant lapse not just for Indian badminton, but for the sport worldwide, lacking clear reasoning and jeopardizing its growth," Gopichand said in a social media post.

"We must raise our voices and bring this issue to the appropriate authorities to ensure badminton continues to thrive and inspire future generations. As the sport experiences exponential growth globally, the reasons for its exclusion must be scrutinized and discussed with the relevant stakeholders. We cannot allow such shortsighted decisions to undermine the progress we have tirelessly achieved," he added further.

Prominent Indian shuttler Chirag Shetty said that despite being the most watched sport, the exclusion of badminton makes no sense.

"I think it's a very bad decision, to be honest. I can say for badminton, I think it's the most watched sport. It's one of the most watched sports in the Commonwealth Games," said Chirag, who along with partner Satwiksairaj Rankireddy is the 2022 Birmingham CWG men's doubles champion, besides being the mixed team gold medallist at Gold Coast in 2018.

He said the popularity of the sport in CWG could be gauged from the fact that virtually all badminton competitions are played in front of a packed house.

"I've been part of two editions at the Gold Coast and at the Birmingham editions. It's very difficult to get a seat for any of the rounds. I think it's a very bad decision for the badminton community in general," he added further.

'Wanted to win gold there'

Hockey is one sport that is played by major Commonwealth countries such as India, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, and England, and excluding the sport that can be played on one turf makes little sense.

India has won four medals in men's hockey events and three medals in women's hockey events including a gold in 2002.

"I just came to know about the development. It is not a piece of good news as we were planning for the event. We wanted to win gold there as it has eluded us always but now the sport is excluded," Indian captain Harmanpreet Singh said in a media interaction.

Apart from the above-mentioned sports, Wrestling, and Table Tennis are two sports where India has won a lot of medals but won't be part of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.