New Delhi,oct 22
India’s leading sportspersons and administrators expressed surprise and helplessness after the country’s medal prospects took a hit with the exclusion of hockey, shooting, cricket, badminton and wrestling from the roster of a heavily scaled-down 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.Relocated to the Scottish capital after Victoria’s withdrawal as host due to an increase in projected costs, the Games will feature just 10 events, which is nine less than the previous edition held in 2022 in Birmingham.Table tennis, squash and archery are also not part of what will be a massively pruned down Games. The organisers have said having lesser events at just four venues will ensure that the showpiece is able to manage the financial and operational risks involved.
But the roster has stunned the Indian sports fraternity.”It’s a shocking news and very disappointing but it’s not in our hands,” said Harmanpreet Singh, under whose captaincy the Indian men’s hockey team won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics in August.Table tennis great Sharath Kamal, who has won innumerable medals at Commonwealth Games over the last two decades, understood the impact the games organisers’ decision could have on the country’s overall tally.”It is a pity that table tennis has been taken off the CWG programme but the organisers have informed they had very short notice as it moved from Melbourne to Glasgow.”Unfortunately it is not part of the 10 sports. It is a quite a hit for all the sports which have been excluded. Especially table tennis where we have won gold medals,” Sharath told PTI.Sharath’s compatriot G Sathiyan added, “It is disappointing…to see a mainstream sport like table tennis get excluded is surprising. Huge loss for the Indian table tennis fraternity. Hope something can be done. It is a shocker for all of us,” Sathiyan said.One of the country’s finest squash players, Dipika Pallikal expressed her disappointment when reached out for a reaction.”Whenever it seems like we are moving a few steps forward for the sport, we are suddenly pulled back two steps. Huge loss for the Commonwealth countries that our sport isn’t included.”I think squash really deserves to be part of all the multi sport events and it’s definitely a huge loss that our sport cannot be showcased at the CWG,” she said.India sent 210 athletes to the 2022 Birmingham Games across 16 sports, winning 61 medals in the process with 30 of those podium finishes coming from disciplines that won’t be there at the Glasgow Games.The news of hockey’s omission from the program did not go down well with the sport’s global governing body (FIH) as well as Hockey India.”This will be a very different Commonwealth Games with many popular Olympic sports not included in what will be a watered down version of the Games.”We can only wish those who will participate all the best. The Govt of India, Ministry of Sports and IOA did everything possible to include sports which India are traditionally strong in,” Kalikesh said.”NRAI offered to host the shooting part of the games in India subject to relevant approvals. In the end we should rally around and appreciate Scotland’s effort in hosting the Games,” he added.
