The excellent news for India’s athletes — like 1000’s throughout the Commonwealth — is that the troubled Video games can be held in 2026. The not-so-good information for India’s athletes is it may function only a few sports activities the place the nation can contest for medals.
The Commonwealth Video games Federation and the organisers in Scotland, who rescued the Video games by pitching a slimmed-down occasion, haven’t but introduced the sports activities that can be part of the programme.
The 2022 version in Birmingham had 19 sports activities. The Glasgow organising workforce has mentioned they may embody simply 10 sports activities within the 2026 Video games. The CGF is hoping that 13 might be accommodated.
Whichever means the choice goes, it may find yourself being a lose-lose situation for India on condition that taking pictures is prone to stay excluded, wrestling is preventing for a spot whereas the axe hangs on different sports activities like hockey and cricket.
On the 2022 CWG, India received 61 medals, together with 22 of them gold. Wrestling (12), weightlifting (10), athletics (8), boxing and desk tennis (7 every) contributed probably the most to the general tally.
Clashing calendar
Initially, when the Australian state of Victoria was going to host the 2026 CWG earlier than it pulled out, the Video games had been scheduled to be held in March. In Scotland, the place the climate in March may be bitterly chilly, that isn’t an choice. The Video games can be shifted to the summer season, more than likely within the July-August window when the climate too performs ball.
Nonetheless, because the sporting calendar is designed years upfront, a last-minute shifting of a multi-discipline competitors like CWG may see an overlap of occasions or an especially crowded summer season window.
The headline occasion of the summer season is the soccer World Cup from June 11 to July 19. To keep away from getting swallowed by the largest single-sport match on the planet, it’s unlikely that the 2026 Video games will happen throughout these dates.
In 2014, the Glasgow CWG was held from July 23 to August 3. In order that might be a doable window. Nonetheless, it could additionally imply a possible conflict with the World and continental Championships of different sports activities two years earlier than the Los Angeles Olympics.
The cricketers — though India are likely to ship second-string groups for these occasions — have a busy July and August as properly, with excursions to England and Sri Lanka. (PTI Photograph/R Senthilkumar)
As an illustration, the lads’s and girls’s hockey World Cup can be held from August 15 to 30 in Belgium and the Netherlands. India can be internet hosting the badminton World Championships in 2026 and though the dates aren’t formally introduced, the competitors normally takes place in August.
The cricketers — though India are likely to ship second-string groups for these occasions — have a busy July and August as properly, with excursions to England and Sri Lanka.
After which, there would be the Asian Video games — an Olympic qualifier for some sports activities — from September 19 to October 4.
Confirmed sports activities
On condition that they had been made obligatory sports activities by the Commonwealth Video games Federation in 2021, athletics and swimming have been formally assured a spot.
India’s possibilities to win a swimming medal are subsequent to none. On the Birmingham Video games, the observe and discipline athletes returned residence with eight medals, together with one gold.
Nonetheless, this time, the elite athletes — specifically Neeraj Chopra, Avinash Sable, and Murali Sreeshankar — is perhaps compelled to decide on as two Diamond League meets, in London and Chorzow (Poland) are scheduled to happen in July and August. That is other than the Below-20 World Championships and the European Championships, one other main occasion that might conflict with the CWG.
Capturing was not part of the 2022 CWG and was neglected of the unique 2026 Video games programme as properly. The game is unlikely to return for the Glasgow Video games, on condition that not one of the 4 venues proposed to host competitions have a taking pictures vary.
This time, the elite athletes — specifically Neeraj Chopra, Avinash Sable, and Murali Sreeshankar — is perhaps compelled to decide on as two Diamond League meets, in London and Chorzow (Poland) are scheduled to happen in July and August. (File)
Wrestling, dropped by the Australian organisers, nonetheless, may get a lease of life on condition that Scotland’s largest exhibition centre, the SEC, which hosted the game in 2014 can be one of many venues proposed.
The Venues
The Glasgow CWG may additionally set a brand new development, whereby the sports activities programme might be finalised based mostly on the venues obtainable fairly than selecting the sports activities first after which constructing a venue.
The organisers have mentioned they may use 4 venues inside an eight-mile radius in Glasgow to avoid wasting on transport and safety, amongst different issues.
The Scotstoun Stadium within the west-end of Glasgow will host athletics. In 2014, the sector, which has a capability of 12,500, hosted squash and desk tennis. Scotland’s Nationwide Badminton Centre can be positioned inside the Scotstoun campus premises.
The Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome and Tollcross will reportedly host biking and swimming, respectively, whereas indoor sports activities can be held on the Scotland Exhibition and Convention Centre (SECC), the nation’s largest exhibition venue.
On the 2014 Video games, the SECC hosted weightlifting, boxing, judo, wrestling, netball, and gymnastics. Nonetheless, if the Scottish organisers stay agency and stick to only 10 sports activities, not all of those disciplines may make the ultimate minimize.
Based on the BBC, the Nationwide Hockey Centre doesn’t ‘look like part of any plans’. The Guardian, in the meantime, reported: “Officers in cricket – which returned to the Commonwealth Video games program with girls’s T20 in Birmingham in 2022 and can rejoin the Olympics in 2028 – don’t anticipate their sport to be included.”