PTC Web Desk: India's medal prospects for the 2026 Commonwealth Games have taken a major hit following a significant reduction in the number of sports. Scheduled from July 23 to August 2 in Glasgow, the 23rd edition will feature only 10 sports, significantly fewer than previous years, to keep the event budget-friendly. Notably, sports where Indian athletes traditionally excel, such as hockey, badminton, shooting, and wrestling, have all been excluded from the event lineup.

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) confirmed that Commonwealth Games 2026 will have a streamlined schedule compared to the 19 sports featured in the 2022 Birmingham edition. The reduced lineup excludes not only hockey, badminton, shooting, and wrestling, but also sports such as cricket, table tennis, squash, and road racing.

This edition will see Glasgow return as the host city after 12 years, stepping in after Victoria withdrew last year due to financial concerns. The official sports programme for the 2026 Games will include athletics and para athletics (Track and  Field), swimming and para swimming, artistic gymnastics, track cycling and para track cycling, netball, weightlifting and para powerlifting, boxing, judo, bowls and para bowls, as well as 3x3 basketball and 3x3 wheelchair basketball. The competition will be held across four venues — Scotstoun Stadium, Tollcross International Swimming Centre, Emirates Arena and Scottish Event Campus (SEC).

India’s stronghold in the Commonwealth Games is rooted in success in sports like shooting, wrestling, badminton, and hockey. With these sports now off the programme, India faces a significant reduction in medal opportunities.

Shooting, which was already excluded from the 2022 Birmingham edition, has been one of India’s most successful sports at the Games, with Indian athletes earning 135 medals (63 gold). Wrestling has also been a consistent medal-winning discipline, with India accumulating 114 medals in the sport across various categories.

Hockey's exclusion is particularly disappointing, given India’s historic success, including three silver and two bronze medals in men's hockey and a gold medal for the women’s team in 2002. Badminton, where India has won 31 medals (10 gold, 8 silver, 13 bronze), is also notably absent from the lineup.

Cricket, which made a recent comeback with India's women's team winning silver in 2022, has also been left out, along with squash and table tennis, both of which have seen promising performances by Indian athletes.