Indian Sports Fans and Icons React to Shocking Removal of Key Events from 2026 Commonwealth Games

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India's sports community is reeling from the decision to exclude several key sports from the 2026 Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Glasgow. Sports, like hockey, shooting, cricket, badminton, and wrestling have been removed from the roster.

As a result, the nation's medal prospects have taken a significant hit to the chances of losing around 40 medals. The Games, relocated to Scotland after Victoria's withdrawal as host, will feature only ten sports, nine fewer than in the 2022 edition in Birmingham.

With India having won numerous medals from sports that will no longer feature in the 2026 CWG, the exclusion poses a major setback to the country's medal tally and dampens hopes for its athletes and Indian sports fans have taken to social media to express that disappointment and anger.

One fan wrote, "India really need to need to Boycott the Commonwealth Games 2026. Removing Shooting in 2022 was scandalous enough. Now removing all of Cricket, Hockey, Wrestling, Badminton, TT, Squash is just ridiculous. While Netball, 3*3 basbaketball, Lawn Bowl have been kept."

Another wrote, "India should not play commonwealth games." A third fan wrote, "Exciting sports like netball, bowls, artistic gymnastics remain for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2026 even as badminton, wrestling, shooting, cricket are canceled! Why is India, a republic, still part of the Commonwealth, a colonial imperial era relic? High time we wake up."

Several athletes and administrators have come out to voice their concerns as well. Harmanpreet Singh, captain of the Indian men's hockey team, expressed his frustration, saying, "It's a shocking news and very disappointing but it's not in our hands."

Hockey India, along with the international hockey governing body (FIH), has also expressed its displeasure. "We've put our grievances to FIH, and they are taking up the matter with CGF," said Bhola Nath Singh, Secretary General of Hockey India.

Table tennis, another sport in which India has historically excelled, has also been excluded. Sharath Kamal, a seven-time CWG gold medallist, said, "It is quite a hit for all the sports which have been excluded, especially table tennis where we have won gold medals." His teammate, G. Sathiyan, called the decision "a shocker for all of us," noting the huge loss for the Indian table tennis community.

Squash player Dipika Pallikal shared similar sentiments, lamenting that just as progress was being made for her sport, the exclusion felt like "being pulled back two steps." The World Squash Federation also criticized the decision, stating that the exclusion was especially disappointing given squash's recent inclusion in the LA28 Olympic Games.

The removal of badminton, which has seen tremendous success in India in recent years, has also drawn sharp criticism. Pullela Gopichand, Chief National Coach for the Indian Badminton Team, called it "a significant lapse not just for Indian badminton, but for the sport worldwide."