News Mania / Piyal Chatterjee / 22nd October 2024
The exclusion of crucial sports like hockey, badminton, wrestling, cricket, and shooting from the Glasgow-hosted 2026 Commonwealth Games is a major setback to India’s hopes of taking home gold. In an effort to keep the event within budget, the host city unveiled an updated list of ten disciplines.
Since the tournament will only be held at four locations, table tennis, squash, and triathlon will also not be included in order to further reduce expenses and difficulties. There will be nine fewer events altogether than there were at the Birmingham edition in 2022.After a 12-year absence, Glasgow will host again from July 23 to August 2. Weightlifting and Para Powerlifting, Boxing, Judo, Bowls and Para Bowls, Swimming and Para Swimming, Artistic Gymnastics, Track Cycling and Para Track Cycling, Netball, Athletics and Para Athletics (Track & Field), and 3×3 Basketball and 3×3 Wheelchair Basketball are all part of the sports program, according to the Commonwealth Games Federation.
India’s medal chances are severely hampered by this smaller roster, especially considering that a large number of its previous successes have come in the excluded sports. After being excluded from the Birmingham Games four years prior, mostly because of logistical concerns, shooting was predicted to stay out.The CGF stated that “Glasgow 2026 will feature a 10-sport programme concentrated across four venues within an eight-mile corridor.” Given that the Barry Buddon Centre in Dundee, which was utilized for the 2014 Games, is more than 100 kilometers from Glasgow, shooting was ruled out. Archery, which last competed at the 2010 Delhi Games, has also been excluded.
Important locations like the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre and Glasgow Green, which hosted hockey and wrestling in 2014, are no longer on the list. This edition will solely feature cycling at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, which used to host badminton.Furthermore, the fact that hockey is scheduled so closely to the World Cup, which will take place in Wavre, Belgium, and Amstelveen, the Netherlands, from August 15 to 30, may have contributed to its elimination. Scotland took over as the 2026 Games’ host when Victoria, an Australian state, withdrew last year owing to rising costs.
India’s men’s team has won three silver and two bronze medals in the past, and their women’s team has also performed well, winning three, thus the absence of hockey is a major blow to the country.
