Sports fraternity upset over exclusion of major games from Commonwealth Games

The sports fraternity is disappointed following the exclusion of major games like wrestling, hockey, shooting, table tennis, badminton and squash from the Commonwealth Games (CWG), which are scheduled to be held in Glasgow, Scotland, in March 2026.

The sports fraternity has demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene in the matter, stating that non-inclusion of medal-yielding games of India has brought a major setback to the players.

Prof Rajendra Parsad Garg, Olympic Category wrestling Referee (2013) and Director (Sports), at Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU), said wrestling is the prime game of India and Indian wrestlers always bring laurels to the nation by clinching medals at every international tournament.

“The exclusion of wrestling from the CWG seems to be a conspiracy to thwart Indian medals and discourage Indian wrestlers, who are heading towards becoming the Olympic champions. In the recent Paris Olympics, Vinesh Phogat could have clinched the gold medal had she not been disqualified due to being overweight ahead of the final bout,” he added.

Garg, who won gold in all India inter-university wrestling championship for four times, said excluding the wrestling from the CWG was an injustice to Indian wrestlers. “Therefore, Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Indian Olympic Association should make efforts for the inclusion of this game in the prestigious international event by intervening into the matter,” he added.

Bhim Award winner Manoj Kumar Ohlyan, Chief Coach, Indian Shooting Team and High- Performance Coach with Sports Authorities of India (SAI), said shooting players were proving their mettle in shooting games in Asian games and other international events, besides Olympics.

“This is for the second time when shooting has not been included in the CWG. We were quite hopeful about inclusion of shooting this time, but the latest development has brought disappointment to all Indian shooters. It will also demotivate the budding players,” he said.

Encouraging players, Ohlyan said they should remain hopeful and focus on their training.

Kishan Singh, a hockey coach, said, “Hockey is the national game of India and our players have clinched bronze medal in the Paris Olympics. It is for the first time that Hockey has been excluded from the CWG. Hockey India should approach the Olympic Association of India to flag the issue at the international level,” he added.