Commonwealth Games trimming conspiracy to sideline India: Badminton body secretary

Commonwealth Games 2026: The Glasgow edition of the quadrennial spectacle has been trimmed to 10 spots. Some of India's productive sports, including badminton, shooting and wrestling, have been dropped from the roster.

In Short

• Badminton was one of the nine sports dropped from Commonwealth Games
• India won a total of 31 medals in badminton at the CWG
• Glasgow will host the Games from July 23 to August 12 in 2026

Badminton Association of India secretary Sanjay Mishra lashed out at the Commonwealth Games Federation for dropping as many as nine sports from the roster for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2026. Hockey, badminton, wrestling, cricket and shooting are among the nine sports that have been dropped from the pruned roster for the 2026 Games.

The decision to trim the sports roster to 10 from 19 in 2022 comes in a bid to keep the Glasgow Games 'budget-friendly' and free of logistical issues. Only four venues are hosting 10 sports in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Notably, the Scottish city was not the first-choice venue for hosting the 2026 Games as Victoria, which won the bid to host the quadrennial sporting spectacle, withdrew last year.

India's medal hopes have been hit hard as the Asian giants dominated sports like badminton, wrestling and shooting in the past. Out of the total 564 medals won over 18 editions, India have won 135 in shooting, 114 in wrestling, 44 in boxing and 31 in badminton. Table tennis, which has also been dropped from the roster, has contributed to 28 medals for India.

INDIA'S MOST PRODUCTIVE SPORTS AT CWG

Shooting - 135

Wrestling - 114

Boxing - 44

Badminton - 31

Table Tennis - 28

Women's cricket returned to the roster in 2022 and India went on to win the silver medal.

"It's shocking and a huge setback for Indian sports, with nearly 40 medals at risk from the dropped events. This isn't just a loss for sports and sportspersons; it feels like a conspiracy to sideline India's rising sporting potential in the region," Sanjay Mishra said in a statement.

"The Badminton Association of India stands firmly in protest and will be reaching out to all relevant authorities at the Commonwealth and BWF, as well as the highest levels of government in the country, to advocate for the future of Indian sports," he added.

The sports programme at the Commonwealth Games, scheduled to be held between July 23 and August 12, will include Athletics and Para Athletics (Track & Field), Swimming and Para Swimming, Artistic Gymnastics, Track Cycling and Para Track Cycling, Netball, Weightlifting and Para Powerlifting, Boxing, Judo, Bowls and Para Bowls, and 3x3 Basketball and 3x3 Wheelchair Basketball.

This ruled shooting out of the roster as the Barry Buddon centre in Dundee -- the venue during the 2014 CWG -- is more than 100km away from Glasgow. Also, archery continued to be ignored. The sport last featured at the Games in the 2010 Delhi edition. Glasgow Green, which hosted hockey in 2014, has been dropped from the list of venues, while the Emirates Arena, where badminton was held that year, will be used only for cycling, this time at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome there.

"Cost and operational risk were the main drivers. Every venue introduced brings added costs and complexity for venue hire, security, transport etc. To minimise those risks, it was determined that it would be too costly to add additional venues," the organisers stated justifying limiting the Games to just four venues. (With PTI Inputs)