The elimination of common sports activities like hockey, badminton, wrestling and desk tennis from the Commonwealth Video games (CWG) programme for Glasgow 2026 has led to sturdy reactions from a number of the world our bodies ruling the 12 sports activities which have been axed in addition to former athletes.
Saying Glasgow because the host for the 2026 version of CWG on Tuesday, the Commonwealth Video games Federation assertion learn, “The 23rd version of the Commonwealth Video games will happen in Scotland from Thursday 23 July to Sunday 2 August 2026…It is going to characteristic a 10-sport programme concentrated throughout 4 venues inside an eight-mile hall.”
The 10 sports activities which have been included within the programme are athletics and para athletics (monitor & discipline), swimming and para Swimming, creative gymnastics, monitor biking and para monitor biking, netball, weightlifting and para powerlifting, boxing, judo, bowls and para bowls, and 3×3 basketball and 3×3 wheelchair basketball.
That leaves hockey, cricket, badminton, wrestling, desk tennis, archery, diving, rugby sevens, seashore volleyball, mountain biking, squash and rhythmic gymnastics out of the Commonwealth Video games 2026.
A number of athletes and federations have voiced their concern concerning the resolution.
HARMANPREET SINGH
Captain, Indian males’s hockey crew
“It is a stunning information and really disappointing, but it surely’s not in our fingers.”
SHARATH KAMAL
7-times CWG gold medallist (desk tennis)
“It’s a pity that desk tennis has been taken off the CWG programme however the organisers have knowledgeable they’d very brief discover because it moved from Melbourne to Glasgow. Sadly it’s not a part of the 10 sports activities. It’s a fairly successful for all of the sports activities which have been excluded, particularly desk tennis the place we’ve got received gold medals.”
DIPIKA PALLIKAL
Squash Participant
“Each time it looks as if we’re shifting a couple of steps ahead for the game, we’re all of the sudden pulled again two steps. Enormous loss for the Commonwealth nations that our sport is not included. I believe squash actually deserves to be a part of all of the multi sport occasions and it is undoubtedly an enormous loss that our sport can’t be showcased on the CWG.
BHOLA NATH SINGH
Secretary Common, Hockey India
“Many of the medal successful sports activities for India have been dropped. The IOA ought to take up the matter. On our half, we’ve got put our grievances to FIH and they’re taking on the matter with CGF.”
SANJAY SINGH
President, Hockey India
“It’s naturally very disappointing. India has all the time been a really sturdy wrestling nation on the CWG. It is undoubtedly going to harm the wrestling neighborhood in India. We tried our greatest to persuade CGF to maintain the game on the roster. However if you happen to see, Scotland doesn’t have sturdy wrestlers, so that they should have checked out their very own medal prospects which normally the host nations do.”
SANJAY MISHRA
Common Secretary, Badminton Affiliation of India
“It is stunning and an enormous setback for Indian sports activities, with practically 40 medals in danger from the dropped occasions. This is not only a loss for sports activities and sportspersons; it looks like a conspiracy to sideline India’s rising sporting potential within the area.”
INTERNATIONAL HOCKEY FEDERATION (FIH)
“While the Commonwealth Video games Federation’s (CGF) needed to verify a brand new host for the 2026 Video games in a brief timeframe after the withdrawal from the Victorian Authorities and while we’ve taken word that the brand new idea for 2026 has been downsized, with a core providing of solely 10 sports activities, we’re all of the extra disenchanted by the CGF’s resolution to not have hockey on the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Video games programme that our sport has been performed at each Commonwealth Video games since 1998, one thing we’re very pleased with. With a discount from 19 to 10 sports activities in comparison with the final version of the Video games, hockey is subsequently in the identical scenario as eight different sports activities.
Nevertheless, the CGF has been very clear of their numerous exchanges with FIH that this resolution is outstanding, and associated to the difficult nature of this particular version of the Commonwealth Video games.
CGF has asserted that this resolution is not going to impression the inclusion of hockey into future editions of the Commonwealth Video games and that FIH stays a key accomplice and good friend in each the historical past and way forward for the Commonwealth motion.
As CGF has confirmed that hockey stays an necessary sport for the Federation, its members and the Commonwealth motion, we welcome their invitation to debate additional alternatives for hockey with the Commonwealth motion sooner or later.”
KALIKESH SINGH DEO, President, Nationwide Rifle Affiliation of India
“It’s disappointing that capturing hasn’t been included. This might be a really totally different Commonwealth Video games with many common Olympic sports activities not included in what might be a watered down model of the Video games.”
GAGAN NARANG (ex-shooter), 2012 Olympic bronze medallist
“I’m definitely disenchanted capturing will not be a part of CWG 2026 in Glasgow. Our sport has been out of CWG since 2018 and when Victoria was to host it, capturing was included and now it’s been eliminated. I can think about the frustration for shooters who had been getting ready for this occasion. I’m additionally disenchanted that few extra disciplines, that are medal prospects for India, don’t determine within the checklist of disciplines for CWG 2026.
Whereas I’m completely happy for the ten sports activities included .The respective worldwide and nationwide federations whose sports activities missed the reduce of checklist have additionally been working tirelessly to manage the game of their respective nations and the athletes have been giving their very best to organize for these prestigious video games.
CWG has all the time been a marquee occasion in Indian sporting calendar and it’s disheartening to see the Video games being watered down with fewer disciplines within the developing in Glasgow 2026.”
WORLD SQUASH FEDERATION & SCOTTISH SQUASH
“The World Squash Federation (WSF) and Scottish Squash are deeply disenchanted by the information that squash is not going to be one of many ten sports activities contested on the condensed 2026 Commonwealth Video games in Glasgow.
Squash, which is able to make its Olympic debut on the LA28 Olympic Video games, has been a core sport of the Commonwealth Video games since first being contested at Kuala Lumpur 1998.
Nevertheless, regardless of having current infrastructure in place at Scotstoun following a implausible squash competitors on the Glasgow 2014 Video games, it’s disappointing that squash was not submitted for inclusion after the variety of sports activities was lowered from 19 in 2022 because of the distinctive circumstances of the 2026 Commonwealth Video games.
This resolution is especially irritating for Scotland’s and the Commonwealth’s high squash gamers, who work tirelessly to symbolize their nations at main video games.
WSF and Scottish Squash stay dedicated to supporting these athletes by offering the most effective aggressive alternatives to boost their expertise and proudly symbolize their nations.
Representatives of the WSF and Scottish Squash have acquired assurances that this resolution for a condensed occasion in 2026 is not going to impression the inclusion of squash into future Commonwealth Video games.
(Compiled from numerous sources)
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