Commonwealth Games 2026 Glasgow: Cricket, hockey, badminton amongst many other sports removed from the CWG 26

New Delhi: Popular games like cricket, hockey and badminton amongst many others have been axed from the next edition of the Commonwealth Games scheduled to take place in Glasgow in 2026. Set to be the 23rd edition of the CWG, the upcoming edition will be held in Glasgow from July 23 to August 2, 2026, marking the quadrennial multi-sport meet’s return to the Scottish city after 12 years.

Glasgow 2026 will have a much smaller schedule than Birmingham 2022. There are two reasons for this- one is the logistical problem that the authorities might face owing to the small 8-mile corridor in which the match will be organised. CWG 26 will take place across four venues: Scotstoun Stadium, Tollcross International Swimming Centre, Emirates Arena – including the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, and the Scottish Event Campus (SEC).

Excluded Sports from Commonwealth Games 2026

• Hockey
• Cricket
• Badminton
• Wrestling
• Table tennis
• Diving
• Rugby sevens
• Beach volleyball
• Mountain biking
• Squash
• Rhythmic gymnastics

Another possible reason could be to shorten the duration of the games so that the athletes have enough time to recover. While the sporting reasons and the logistical reasons seem noble, India’s medal hopes in the CWG 26 have received a major blow.

Shooting and wrestling have been the biggest medal garners for India at the Commonwealth Games since its inception. Naturally, a chunk of medals which could have landed in the lap of the Indian athletes has been snatched by the authorities. Field hockey’s exclusion also means the sport will be missing from the quadrennial event for the first time since the sport made its debut in the CWG back in 1998.

What are the games included in the Commonwealth Games 2026?

The following is the itinerary of the 10 games that are scheduled to be included in the Commonwealth Games 2026:

• Athletics and para-athletics
• Swimming and para-swimming
• Artistic gymnastics
• Track cycling and para-track cycling
• Netball
• Weightlifting and para powerlifting
• Boxing
• Judo
• Bowls and para bowls
• 3×3 basketball and 3×3 wheelchair basketball