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Hockey, Shooting, Cricket, Badminton Among Major Sports Axed From 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games

A number of sports, including badminton, wrestling, rugby sevens, hockey, and cricket, have been removed from the official schedule for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.

After a 12-year absence, the quadrennial multi-sport meet will return to Glasgow in 2026 for its 23rd edition, which will take place from July 23 to August 2, 2026. However, compared to the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the Glasgow 2026 schedule will be much more condensed.

Hockey, Shooting, Cricket, Badminton Among Major Sports Axed From 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games
Credits - Olympics

According to an announcement by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), the organizers of Glasgow 2026 will have a 10-sport programme spread across four locations within an eight-mile radius.

The 10-sport itinerary for Glasgow 2026 will include athletics (track and field), swimming, 3x3 basketball, track cycling, weightlifting, lawn bowls, artistic gymnastics, netball, boxing and judo, The para variants of the first five will be part of the integrated para programme at the 2026 CWG.

Four locations will host the Games: the Scottish Event Campus (SEC), Emirates Arena, which includes the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, Tollcross International Swimming Centre, and Scotstoun Stadium.

The Glasgow 2026 sports list is significantly leaner than Birmingham 2022, which featured a roster of 20. The exclusions include hockey, cricket, badminton, wrestling, table tennis, diving, rugby sevens, beach volleyball, mountain biking, squash and rhythmic gymnastics.

Hockey, Shooting, Cricket, Badminton Among Major Sports Axed From 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games
Abhinav Bindra (Credits - CWG)

There is still no shooting, which was also removed from the Birmingham 2022 CWG program. The omissions will significantly harm India's chances of winning medals at the 2026 Games in Glasgow.

Since the beginning, India's top medal-winning sports at the Commonwealth Games have been shooting and wrestling.

Due to its exclusion, field hockey will also be absent from the quadrennial competition for the first time since it debuted in the CWG in 1998. India is the second-most successful hockey nation in the CWG, only surpassed by Australia, with six medals split between the men's and women's teams.

After a twenty-four-year hiatus, cricket made a comeback to the Commonwealth Games schedule in Birmingham in 2022. The competition was held in T20 format for women’s teams with India clinching a silver medal.

At the CWG, India also has an outstanding record in squash, table tennis, and badminton.

Cover Credits - CWG Official

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