Why a trimmed-down CWG 2026 could be lose-lose for India: No shooting, uncertainty over wrestling, hockey, cricket

The 2022 variation successful Birmingham had 19 sports. The Glasgow organising squad has said they volition see conscionable 10 sports successful the 2026 Games. The CGF is hoping that 13 could beryllium accommodated.

Whichever mode the determination goes, it could extremity up being a lose-lose script for India fixed that shooting is apt to stay excluded, wrestling is warring for a spot portion the axe hangs connected different sports similar hockey and cricket.

At the 2022 CWG, India won 61 medals, including 22 of them gold. Wrestling (12), weightlifting (10), athletics (8), boxing and array tennis (7 each) contributed the astir to the wide tally.

Clashing calendar

Originally, erstwhile the Australian authorities of Victoria was going to big the 2026 CWG earlier it pulled out, the Games were scheduled to beryllium held successful March. In Scotland, wherever the upwind successful March tin beryllium bitterly cold, that isn’t an option. The Games volition beryllium shifted to the summer, astir apt successful the July-August model erstwhile the upwind excessively plays ball.

However, since the sporting calendar is designed years successful advance, a last-minute shifting of a multi-discipline contention similar CWG could spot an overlap of events oregon an highly crowded summertime window.

The header lawsuit of the summertime is the shot World Cup from June 11 to July 19. To debar getting swallowed by the biggest single-sport tourney successful the world, it is improbable that the 2026 Games volition instrumentality spot during these dates.

In 2014, the Glasgow CWG was held from July 23 to August 3. So that could beryllium a imaginable window. However, it would besides mean a imaginable clash with the World and continental Championships of different sports 2 years earlier the Los Angeles Olympics.

The cricketers — though India thin to nonstop second-string teams for these events — person a engaged July and August arsenic well, with tours to England and Sri Lanka. (PTI Photo/R Senthilkumar)

For instance, the men’s and women’s hockey World Cup volition beryllium held from August 15 to 30 successful Belgium and the Netherlands. India volition beryllium hosting the badminton World Championships successful 2026 and though the dates aren’t officially announced, the contention usually takes spot successful August.

The cricketers — though India thin to nonstop second-string teams for these events — person a engaged July and August arsenic well, with tours to England and Sri Lanka.

And then, determination volition beryllium the Asian Games — an Olympic qualifier for immoderate sports — from September 19 to October 4.

Confirmed sports

Given that they were made compulsory sports by the Commonwealth Games Federation successful 2021, athletics and swimming person been formally guaranteed a place.

India’s chances to triumph a swimming medal are adjacent to none. At the Birmingham Games, the way and tract athletes returned location with 8 medals, including 1 gold.

However, this time, the elite athletes — namely Neeraj Chopra, Avinash Sable, and Murali Sreeshankar — mightiness beryllium forced to take arsenic 2 Diamond League meets, successful London and Chorzow (Poland) are scheduled to instrumentality spot successful July and August. This is isolated from the Under-20 World Championships and the European Championships, different large lawsuit that could clash with the CWG.

Shooting was not a portion of the 2022 CWG and was near retired of the archetypal 2026 Games programme arsenic well. The athletics is improbable to instrumentality for the Glasgow Games, fixed that nary of the 4 venues projected to big competitions person a shooting range.

This time, the elite athletes — namely Neeraj Chopra, Avinash Sable, and Murali Sreeshankar — mightiness beryllium forced to take arsenic 2 Diamond League meets, successful London and Chorzow (Poland) are scheduled to instrumentality spot successful July and August. (File)

Wrestling, dropped by the Australian organisers, however, could get a lease of beingness fixed that Scotland’s largest accumulation centre, the SEC, which hosted the athletics successful 2014 is besides 1 of the venues proposed.

The Venues

The Glasgow CWG could besides acceptable a caller trend, wherein the sports programme could beryllium finalised based connected the venues disposable alternatively than choosing the sports archetypal and past gathering a venue.

The organisers person said they volition usage 4 venues wrong an eight-mile radius successful Glasgow to prevention connected transport and security, among different things.

The Scotstoun Stadium successful the west-end of Glasgow volition big athletics. In 2014, the arena, which has a capableness of 12,500, hosted squash and array tennis. Scotland’s National Badminton Centre is besides located wrong the Scotstoun field premises.

The Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome and Tollcross volition reportedly big cycling and swimming, respectively, portion indoor sports volition beryllium held astatine the Scotland Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC), the country’s largest accumulation venue.

At the 2014 Games, the SECC hosted weightlifting, boxing, judo, wrestling, netball, and gymnastics. However, if the Scottish organisers stay steadfast and instrumentality to conscionable 10 sports, not each of these disciplines could marque the last cut.

According to the BBC, the National Hockey Centre does not ‘appear to beryllium a portion of immoderate plans’. The Guardian, meanwhile, reported: “Officials successful cricket – which returned to the Commonwealth Games programme with women’s T20 successful Birmingham successful 2022 and volition rejoin the Olympics successful 2028 – bash not expect their athletics to beryllium included.”