In a physique blow to India’s medal prospects within the Commonwealth Video games, key sports activities resembling hockey, badminton, wrestling, cricket and taking pictures have been dropped from the 2026 version by host metropolis Glasgow, which unveiled a pruned roster of 10 disciplines to maintain the occasion budget-friendly.
Desk tennis, squash, cricket, netball, and street racing have additionally been axed in a bid to restrict the price and streamline logistics provided that solely 4 venues will host the whole showpiece. The overall variety of occasions on the Video games shall be 9 fewer in comparison with the 2022 Birmingham version.
The twenty third version of the mega-event is scheduled to happen from July 23 to August 2, marking Glasgow’s return as host after 12 years, following the 2014 version.
“The sports activities programme will embody Athletics and Para Athletics (Observe & Subject), Swimming and Para Swimming, Inventive Gymnastics, Observe Biking and Para Observe Biking, Netball, Weightlifting and Para Powerlifting, Boxing, Judo, Bowls and Para Bowls, and 3×3 Basketball and 3×3 Wheelchair Basketball,” the Commonwealth Video games Federation mentioned in an announcement.
“The Video games will happen throughout 4 venues — Scotstoun Stadium, Tollcross Worldwide Swimming Centre, Emirates Area – together with the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, and the Scottish Occasion Campus (SEC). Athletes and help workers shall be housed in resort lodging,” it added.
Setback to India’s medal goals
The roster is a large setback to India’s medal prospects provided that bulk of the nation’s medals got here from the eliminated disciplines prior to now editions. Capturing was by no means anticipated to return after being dropped from the Birmingham programme 4 years in the past, owing to logistics.
Whereas asserting the Glasgow schedule, the CGF mentioned “Glasgow 2026 will function a 10-sport programme concentrated throughout 4 venues inside an eight-mile hall”.
This dominated taking pictures out of the roster because the Barry Buddon centre in Dundee — the venue through the 2014 CWG — is greater than 100km away from Glasgow.
Glasgow Inexperienced and the Scottish Exhibition and Convention Centre, which hosted hockey and wrestling in 2014, has been dropped from the checklist of venues, whereas Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, the place badminton was held that yr, shall be used just for biking this time.
Other than price, hockey’s exclusion may be all the way down to the truth that the Video games are being organised near the World Cup that’s scheduled two weeks later from August 15 to 30 in Wavre, Belgium and Amstelveen, Netherlands
The Australian state of Victoria was the unique host of the 2026 version however pulled out final yr resulting from rising prices. Scotland then stepped in to save lots of the Video games.
Hockey’s omission from the Video games could be a big blow for India. The boys’s crew has received three silver and two bronze medals, whereas the ladies have additionally shone, clinching three medals, together with a historic gold within the 2002 Video games.
In badminton, India has racked up a powerful 31 medals — 10 gold, eight silver, and 13 bronze.
Notably, the nation was to enter the 2026 version as defending champions in males’s and girls’s singles, in addition to males’s doubles.
Capturing was a stronghold for India, with a staggering 135 medals to its title. The rely included 63 gold, 44 silver, and 28 bronze.
The wrestling competitors has yielded 114 medals for the nation, together with 49 gold, 39 silver, and 26 bronzes.
After the cricket’s reintroduction in 2022, the Indian ladies’s crew claimed a silver.
Para-athletes have been part of the Video games because the 2002 Manchester version and can proceed to be there within the 2026 version as properly.
“Para sport will as soon as once more be totally built-in as a key precedence and level of distinction for the Video games, with six Para sports activities included on the game programme,” CGF mentioned.
The CGF mentioned that the Video games will ship over 100 million kilos of “inward funding into the town” and is predicted to help add an financial worth of over 150 million kilos for the area.
The physique asserted that every one this might be potential because of a mannequin “that has been specifically designed to not require public funding for the supply of the Video games.”
“The 2026 Video games shall be a bridge to the Commonwealth Video games of tomorrow — an thrilling first step in our journey to reset and redefine the Video games as a really collaborative, versatile and sustainable mannequin for the longer term that minimises prices, reduces the environmental footprint, and enhances social impression,” Commonwealth Video games Federation CEO Katie Sadleir said within the press launch.
Revealed – October 22, 2024 11:55 am IST
