Indian sports fraternity express displeasure.
Indian Coach says: “no need for CWG! India should not participate!”
Coaches Pullela Gopichand and Vimal Kumar yesterday criticised and slammed the exclusion of sports like Hockey, Badminton, Shooting, Wrestling, T20 cricket, table Tennis, etc, in the next edition of CWG in 2026 at Glasgow.
Mixed bag of views
While there is reason for intense and diverse discussions in the media and sporting circles on the exclusion of sports that India has traditionally performed well, it seems unfounded when looked at deeper.
For example, the following sports have been dropped at CWG 2026:
- Diving
- Rugby sevens
- Beach volleyball
- Mountain biking
- Squash
- Rhythmic gymnastics.
These are sports in India that have not been anywhere near even participation. However, the views of Vimal Kumar, Gopi Pullela, Narang, and Saurav Ghosal cannot be discounted.
Reasons India slams CGF’s decision
The dropped games by the CGF-Commonwealth Games Federation will impact India’s medal prospects in a big way. History has it that India has repeatedly bagged golds, silvers and bronzes in earlier CWG.
Note that in CWG 2022, India won 61 medals:
- 12 Wrestling
- 10 Weightlifting
- 07 Table Tennis
(CWG 2022 did not host Shooting)
But why is India miffed? Here are some possibilities:
- Shooting, Wrestling, and Archery are affected.
- India has invested in infrastructure in these sports.
- Fresh focus on remaining sports
- Coaches face challenges of adapting and maintaining a competitive edge globally.
So why did CGF choose only ten disciplines?
The games were relocated to Glasgow, Scotland, due to the withdrawal of Victoria, Australia, as hosts, stating increasing projected costs. They paid USD 256 million as compensation for declining to host. Rising costs to organise were why the games dropped from 19 in Brimingham in 2022 to 10 in Glasgow in 2026. But apparently, there are other reasons like:
Infrastructure and Logistics
Shooting and Wrestling, for example, require unique infrastructure and safety features. The host city’s limited resources in both these aspects forced the decision. The question is, why did they opt to host, and why was Glasgow allowed to host?!!
Focus on Sports for the youth.
Notably, CWG is aiming to modernise the Games. Hence, the exclusion and inclusion of certain disciplines (listed below).
Global change in Sporting activities
Spectator engagement and entertainment value are getting emphasis. These sports also happen to be attractive to the youth and, above all, commercialisation. Huge investments by broadcasting houses are to be profitable, and hence, they are leaning towards those sports that are easy to broadcast!
Political decisions
There is a possibility that the changes in international sports bodies and priorities forced the exclusions.
The 10 disciplines of CWG 2026, Glasgow:
- Athletics (Para-athletics) track & field
- Swimming (Para-swimming)
- Artistic Gymnastics
- Track Cycling (Para-Track cycling)
- Netball
- Weightlifting (Para-Powerlifting
- Boxing
- Judo
- Bowls (Para-Bowls)
- 3×3 Basketball (3×3 Wheelchair Basketball)
Reactions of Indian Coaches
Former India Coach Vimal expressed his strong reaction that CWG is unnecessary and that it is better to go to the Olympics and Asian Games. He also said that he was disappointed and that CWG was losing charm.
Gagan Narang, the ace shooter, expressed his disappointment about Shooting being dropped on X, saying that CWG was a big event in the Indian sporting schedule.
Gopichand, former All England Badminton champion, opined that he was deeply disappointed by the decision and that it may be aimed at India.
What next for Indian Sports
Despite the adverse reactions of sports legends, coaches are forced to shift to the sports that are part of CWG 2026. These sports now need to be primed, and planning and strategising will be required to target medals. Gopichand says India needs to focus on its strengths, like athletics and train hard.
Conclusion: Opportunity to balance other sports.
Though many in India are pointing fingers at a political angle that is trying to isolate India and put them at a disadvantage, it does not seem entirely correct. For, other sports have been dropped, which India has nothing to do with.
Having said that, this will undoubtedly impact India and similar ones, which have heavily invested in infrastructure and personnel, training, etc. It will also reduce India’s medal tally significantly. The brighter side, however, is that this is an opportunity to provide impetus to other global sports. The younger generation is bound to like this and slowly do away with the unnecessary baggage in current sports that is biased toward only a few of them.
These are actually good times; only the view has to change!
2 Comments
Insightful, lucid…!
Thank you.