The 2026 edition, featuring only 10 sports and roughly 3,000 athletes, will take place from July 23 to August 2 in Glasgow is being referred to as Commonwealth Games Lite.

Key Challenges In Organising Commonwealth Games Lite

• Host Withdrawals: The most recent blow came when Victoria, Australia, withdrew from hosting the 2026 edition, citing financial incapacity just two years before the event. 

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• Economic Realities: The post-colonial context and economic pragmatism have resulted in fewer countries being willing to bear the cost of hosting such large-scale sporting events.
• Reduced Enthusiasm: The UK’s repeated intervention to save the Games underscores the lack of enthusiasm from other member nations, leaving the Commonwealth Games reliant on fewer, mostly Western nations.
• Sports Program Changes: Team Sports on the Chopping Block: Sports like hockey, rugby, and cricket have been dropped from the program, raising concerns about whether they will ever return.
• Emphasis on Inclusion:Despite the cuts, efforts are being made to integrate para-sports more fully into the Games, keeping inclusion a central theme.

Implications for India

• India, traditionally strong in sports like badminton, wrestling, and hockey, faces challenges with the reduced sports program.
• India won 61 medals at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games ( CWG).
  • Thirty of these came from six sports: badminton, wrestling, table tennis, cricket, hockey, and squash. 
  • None of these disciplines will feature in the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

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