The Commonwealth Games Federation has announced the 2026 Commonwealth Games 10 sports. Sports enthusiasts can check the 10 sports included in the next CWG and the games that dropped out in the article below.
Commonwealth Games 2026 Sports
The CWG has been organized every four years since 1930 except during World War II time. The next 23rd edition of the Commonwealth Games will be organized between 23 July to 02 August 2026 across four venues. Sports enthusiasts have been waiting for the sports programs in the next games as the sports programs are used to changes based on the venues.
The CGF has revealed the 2026 Commonwealth Games sports on 22 October 2024, ending the curiosity of the fans. As per the announcement, the 2026 CWG will feature 10 sports and drop out some of the sports, such as hockey, rugby sevens, cricket, and many more.
The 10-sport program of the 2026 Commonwealth Games features the following sports:
- Athletics (track & field) and para-athletics
- Track and para-track Cycling
- Lawn Bowls
- Netball
- 3×3 Basketball
- Swimming and para-swimming
- Weightlifting and powerlifting
- Boxing
- Artistic Gymnastics
- Judo
The 2026 CWG sports are less than the 2022 Birmingham CWG, where the federation has hosted 20 sports, including wrestling, table tennis, beach volleyball, cricket, squash, rugby sevens, and many others.
Commonwealth Games 2026 Venue
The 2026 CWG will be held in one of the populous cities of Scotland, Glasgow. The CWG in Glasgow marks the return of the Commonwealth Games to Scottish land after 12 years. The decision for Glasgow to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games was taken after Australia stepped down from hosting due to high expenses and rising costs in the country.
The Glasgow 2024 CWG will host the 10 sports across four Venues that are under the eight-mile corridor for the convenience of the audience and participants. As per the reports, the 2026 CWG will welcome around 3000 athletes from 74 countries. The four venues of Glasgow 2024 are –
- Tollcross International Swimming Centre
- Scotstoun Stadium
- Emirates Arena which includes Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome
- Scottish Event Campus (SEC)
Why were some sports removed from the Commonwealth Games 2026?
As we have mentioned the federation has dropped many sports from the 2026 CWG, such as hockey, cricket, rugby seven, table tennis, and many others. The sports program is changed or selected based on the venue availability and budget. The Glasgow CWG 2026 is operating with a tight budget and due to rising costs, the authority set the less sports.
Glasgow also set the traditional rends where the sports were selected based on the existing venues rather than the building venue and arranging temporary facilities after choosing the sports. The decision also tried to bring the traditional CWG practices, where the game actually had 10 sports programs in the initial days, which expanded to more sports after 1998.
According to the sports selection rules, the host nation has to include two mandatory sports recommended by the CGF. The two mandatory sports for 2026 CWG are Swimming and Para Swimming, and athletics and Para Athletics. Other sports were selected based on CGF regulations considering the economic value and operating potential of the host nation.
Impact on Indian CWG campaign due to the 10-sport program of 2026 CWG
The removal of hockey, shooting, table tennis, and cricket may affect the Indian campaign for the 2026 CWG as most of the medals of India come from this sports field. India is one of the most successful nations in bagging medals in Hockey after Australia.
If we look at the 2022 Birmingham medal tally of India, where India got 61 medals (21 gold), out of which boxing and table tennis added 7 medals, wrestling added 12 medals, hockey, and squash added 2 each, badminton added 6 medals, and cricket added 1 medal. This shows the removed games are the sports programs where India has garnered most of its medals and the removal of these games can be concerning for India.
The Indian contingent does not have strong medal contenders except for athletics and para-athletics, weightlifting, and boxing programs, which affect the medal tally and India’s stand at the upcoming 2026 CWG.
The 2026 CWG sports program has been announced which is quite less than the previous edition, but the fans should understand the 2026 inclusion does not affect the future sports program as it depends on the Venue.
