Athletes and spectators will notice a gap when the Commonwealth Games begin in Glasgow from today. There are no table tennis tables, badminton courts, hockey fields, or wrestling mats. Some of the most historically successful sports at the Games will not be on the schedule for the first time in many years.

From wrestling to badminton, here's why Glasgow 2026 looks very different from previous Commonwealth Games

Just ten core sports will be offered at Glasgow 2026, and they will be dispersed among four locations within an eight-mile radius of the city. The reduction is striking when compared to Birmingham 2022, which featured a full slate of 20 sports. Organisers say it’s the leanest Commonwealth Games program since 1994 — even as more than 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories descend on Scotland to compete.

Victoria, Australia, was originally slated to host the 2026 edition, but ballooning costs prompted the state to pull out of its hosting commitment. That left the Commonwealth Games Federation scrambling for a replacement — and Glasgow stepped in, but on its own terms: a compact, budget-conscious version of the Games built for survival rather than spectacle.

What made the cut — and what didn't

Athletics, boxing, weightlifting, judo, artistic gymnastics, track cycling, lawn bowls, swimming, 3x3 basketball, and netball are the ten sports included in the Glasgow 2026 program. The final six integrated parasports bring the overall number of sports to 16 and the number of medal events to 215.

Beach volleyball, mountain biking, squash, rugby sevens, table tennis, hockey, cricket, badminton, wrestling, diving, and rhythmic gymnastics are all completely excluded from the curriculum. Prior to Birmingham 2022, shooting, a sport with a long history at the Commonwealth Games, had already been discontinued, therefore its absence follows a trend.

The cuts aren't landing evenly across the Commonwealth. Nations that built their medal hauls on the now-excluded sports are facing a real reckoning and India is chief among them.

Wrestling, badminton, table tennis and hockey have historically been reliable medal sources for Indian athletes at the Commonwealth Games. With all four off the table — and shooting already gone since 2022 — India heads into Glasgow with roughly half of its usual podium pathways erased. The country's medal push this time will lean almost entirely on athletics, boxing, judo, weightlifting and 3x3 basketball.

The 2026 Commonwealth Games run from July 23 to August 2 in Glasgow, Scotland.

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