Commonwealth Games 2026: Why hockey, badminton and seven other sports are missing and how it affects India's medal hopes

India will begin its campaign at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games on Thursday despite the event featuring a significantly reduced sports programme.

Competitions at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games will be held across four venues.

India's campaign will open with two lawn bowls matches, marking the contingent's first events before the opening ceremony later in the day.


Indian athletes will compete in eight disciplines: athletics, boxing, weightlifting, judo, artistic gymnastics, track cycling, lawn bowls and swimming.

List of dropped games:

• Badminton
  
• Beach volleyball
  
• Cricket
  
• Hockey
  
• Rugby sevens
  
• Squash
  
• Table tennis
  
• Triathlon
  
• Wrestling
  

Why are the games dropped?

The 2026 Commonwealth Games were originally awarded to Victoria, Australia, but the state government withdrew as host in 2023 after projected costs surged. Glasgow was confirmed as the replacement host in September 2024, giving organisers less than two years to prepare. To ensure the event remained financially viable and sustainable, the competition programme was scaled back from 19 sports to 10.

How will it impact India's medal tally?

The reduced sports programme is a major setback for India. At the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, India finished fourth with 61 medals, but nearly half of that tally came from sports that have been dropped from the Glasgow 2026 edition.

India won 12 medals in wrestling, seven in table tennis, six in badminton, two each in hockey and squash, and one in cricket. Together, these six sports accounted for 30 of India's 61 medals in Birmingham.

Shooting and archery, two disciplines in which India has traditionally excelled, also remain absent from the Commonwealth Games programme.