The 2026 Commonwealth Games started in Glasgow on July 23, with 124 athletes representing India across 13 disciplines, including in para sports. For some time, the Games were without a host after the Victoria, Australia, bid for the 2026 Commonwealth Games was withdrawn, Victoria having initially been announced as the host in April 2022. There was a risk of games getting postponed to 2027 or cancelled entirely but August 2024 promised Scotland coming to the fray and a deal was reached where the European nation was given hosting rights only on the basis of featuring 10-13 games only and using pre-built infrastructure.
The move ensured that 2026 edition of Commonwealth games went according to schedule but many sports were cut from the list which were heavy medal prospect for India.
In the buildup to the Glasgow Commonwealth games there was less hype and we take a look at possible reasons.
1. Massive Reduction in Sports and India’s Medal Prospects
The most significant reason for the muted response is the dramatic scaling down of the event. The sports lineup was slashed from 19 disciplines (at Birmingham 2022) down to just 10 sports and the absence of wrestling, badminton, hockey, cricket, table tennis, and squash which are India’s top medal prospect became a prominent reason for the decline in popularity.
2. The Asian Games clash
Athletes, coaches, and sports bodies are viewing the current edition with lukewarm interest because it closely coincides with Asian games, prioritizing training and peaking for competitions that offer direct Olympic qualification or feature a higher standard of global competition,
3. Dimming global image and colonial baggage
The games used to serve as a rare multi-sport stage for Indian athletes to shine internationally, public perception has evolved and the fans now think CWG as a fading relic of the British Empire and the below par standard of the games with mostly small nations competing for the glory.
