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.
CWG and CWG Games
- Commonwealth : Collective of 56 countries, primarily former British colonies.
- Established in 1949: By the London Declaration.
- It was originally created as the British Commonwealth of Nations through the Balfour Declaration of 1926.
Commonwealth Games
- Beginning in 1930 it is held every four years.
- Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF): Organisation that is responsible for the direction and control of the Commonwealth Games, and for delivering on the vision of the Commonwealth Sports.
- India Hosted Delhi CWG in 2010.
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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.
25 Oct 2024
