The 23rd edition of the Commonwealth Games (CWG) is scheduled to take place from July 23 to August 2 in Glasgow, marking the Scottish capital’s return as host after 12 years.
Glasgow stepped in to save the quadrennial event after original host Victoria (Australia) backed out, citing rising costs. Following a conservative approach to reduce financial and operational risks, the organisers came up with a trimmed schedule of 10 events to be conducted at four venues within an eight-mile radius.
Consequently, some of the major sports have been excluded from the programme.
Shooting
Shooting made its CWG debut in 1966 and despite being an optional sport, featured in every edition from 1974 to 2018. However, it was dropped from the 2022 edition held in Birmingham due to logistical reasons. Its absence will continue in Glasgow.
For India, shooting has been the most productive sport at CWG. The tricolour nation has won 135 medals - 63 gold, 44 silver and 28 bronze - in shooting.
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Table Tennis
Table Tennis was included in the CWG roster for the first time in 2002 in Manchester and went on to feature in the next five editions as well.
India has won 10 gold, five silver and 12 bronze medals in the racquet sport at the quadrennial event. The 2018 edition was the most successful edition as the nation’s paddlers bagged a total of eight medals, including three gold.
Wrestling
Wrestling was a part of the inaugural Commonwealth Games in 1930 and remained on the roster till being dropped for the first time in 1990. The 1998 and 2006 editions also excluded wrestling.
India is a major force in wrestling and has won more than 100 CWG medals. In the last edition in 2022 in Birmingham, Indian wrestlers clinched six gold, one silver and five bronze medals.
Field Hockey
Hockey has been a part of CWG since its debut at the 1998 edition in Kuala Lumpur. But after 28 years, it won’t feature in the quadrennial event for the first time.
Indian women’s team created history by bagging the gold in Manchester in 2002. They have also won a silver (2006) and a bronze (2022). On the other hand, Indian men have finished runner-up thrice (2010, 2014 and 2022).
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Squash
Like field hockey, squash was also introduced at CWG for the first time in 1998 and went on to feature in the next six editions.
India has bagged five medals - a gold, two bronze and two silver - in squash at the quadrennial event. The gold came in Glasgow in 2014 when Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal won the women’s doubles competition.
In 2018 in Gold Coast, Dipika grabbed silver medals with Joshna (women’s doubles) and Saurav Ghosal (mixed doubles).
In the previous edition, Anahat Singh became the youngest-ever Indian athlete to compete at the CWG at the age of 14. Ghosal bagged bronze in singles and mixed doubles (with Dipika).
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Published on Jul 21, 2026