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Shooting, archery, wrestling, and judo, among other sports, have applied for inclusion at the 2026 Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Victoria, Australia.
Three or four sports are likely to be included in the 16 that have already been shortlisted for the 2026 CWG Down Under. The organizing committee had initially proposed 16 regular sports and six para-sports to be part of the Games.
Aquatics, athletics, badminton, boxing, beach volleyball, T20 cricket, cycling, gymnastics, hockey, lawn bowls, netball, rugby sevens, squash, table tennis, triathlon and weightlifting are the 16 sports already on the program.
The recently concluded Birmingham Commonwealth Games didn't include shooting and archery, two of the most successful sports for India, at the event. While judo, 3×3 basketball and wrestling featured at the 2022 CWG, they are not yet confirmed for the next edition of the Games.
India at Commonwealth Games
Wrestling, archery, and shooting have been excluded from the initial sports list for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, putting the prospects of the Indian medal tally at risk. These three sports have traditionally been dominated by India.
Wrestling was not on the CWG program even when Melbourne hosted the Games in 2006. The sport is geographically not synonymous with a large part of the Commonwealth terrain, despite its historical significance.
Shooting is India's most successful sport at CWG with 135 medals, while wrestling has been the third most successful with 102 medals won.
Following a huge outrage over the exclusion of shooting, 2026 Victoria CWG chief executive Jeroen Weimar said that “three or four" more sports are likely to be added.
The Indian contingent bagged a whopping 61 medals at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Although there were five fewer medals for India compared to the 2018 Gold Coast edition of the Games (66), the 2022 Games will definitely go down as India's best ever performance at the mega event in the absence of shooting and archery.
