New Delhi, July 22: India’s medal prospects at the 2026 Commonwealth Games are expected to face a significant challenge after several of its traditionally successful sports were left out of the competition programme.
The Glasgow edition will feature a reduced schedule with only 10 sports, resulting in the exclusion of disciplines such as wrestling, badminton, table tennis, hockey and cricket.
These events have historically contributed a substantial share of India’s medals at previous Commonwealth Games.
Reflecting the smaller competition programme, India is expected to field a 125-member contingent, considerably smaller than the 215-athlete team that competed at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
Among the omitted sports, wrestling is considered the biggest setback for the Indian contingent.
Indian wrestlers have consistently been among the country’s strongest performers at the Games, regularly winning medals across multiple weight categories. The absence of the sport removes one of India’s most reliable medal avenues.
Badminton and table tennis, where Indian athletes have enjoyed sustained international success in recent years, are also missing from the Glasgow programme.
Both sports have produced multiple podium finishes for India at previous Commonwealth Games and were expected to remain key contributors to the country’s medal tally.
The exclusion of hockey further narrows India’s opportunities, with both the men’s and women’s teams having regularly challenged for medals in past editions.
Women’s cricket, which featured successfully at the 2022 Games and earned India a silver medal, has also been dropped from the schedule.
Shooting, India’s most successful Commonwealth Games discipline in terms of overall medals, continues to remain outside the Games programme.
Its absence further limits India’s chances of maintaining the medal totals achieved in earlier editions.
Despite the reduced number of medal events, India is expected to remain competitive in sports that continue to feature in Glasgow, including weightlifting, boxing, athletics and para sports.
However, sports experts believe the smaller programme and the exclusion of several medal-rich disciplines will make it considerably more difficult for India to replicate its performances from previous Commonwealth Games.
