The 2026 Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Glasgow will look completely different from any edition before it. Scheduled to run from July 23 to August 2, 2026, the sporting event has cut its entire schedule down to just ten core sports.
For fans globally, the biggest shock is the total absence of massive fan-favorite sports like shooting, badminton, wrestling, and cricket from the final roster. This drastic change has caused deep concern, especially for countries like India that rely on these events to win podium spots at the CWG. Here is an explanation of why these major sporting events are missing from the upcoming CWG schedule.
The desperate search for a host city for CWG
The primary reason behind the massive sports cuts comes down to money and a major international hosting crisis. Initially, the Australian state of Victoria was supposed to host the 2026 tournament. However, the Victorian government pulled out unexpectedly after realizing the estimated hosting costs had doubled.
With the chance of this multi-sport event facing complete cancellation, Glasgow stepped up at the last minute to save the day. To make the tournament possible without using public money, the organizers had to design a very lean and budget-friendly model for the CWG 2026.
Limiting events to just four existing venues
To keep expenses low, organizers decided that all sporting events must happen within a compact, eight-mile corridor using only four existing venues in the city. These chosen sites are the Scotstoun Stadium, Tollcross International Swimming Centre, the Emirates Arena, and the Scottish Event Campus.
Because the organizers refused to spend extra funds building brand-new stadiums or temporary facilities, any sport that required specialized setups or fell outside these four locations had to be removed. Managing extra venues would have added massive financial risks to the CWG.
Why shooting and wrestling missed out
Shooting has historically been one of the most expensive sports to host because of its strict safety needs and massive open-space requirements. During the 2014 Glasgow Games, shooting events had to be held over 100 kilometers away in Dundee. Because the new 2026 model strictly requires everything to stay within a tight eight-mile radius, shooting was immediately ruled out from this year’s CWG.
Wrestling faced a similar fate due to strict venue limits. In past editions, wrestling required heavy logistical planning for separate arena mats and specialized training facilities. Since no space was available within the four designated venues to house these requirements, wrestling was axed from the CWG program.
The logistical reasons behind badminton and cricket
Badminton was cut due to a direct venue scheduling conflict. While the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome inside the Emirates Arena hosted badminton in 2014, organizers chose to use that indoor space exclusively for cycling and artistic gymnastics this time around.
Cricket, which made a highly popular appearance at the 2022 Birmingham Games, was dropped because of the sheer size of the athlete squads. Hosting multiple cricket teams requires housing hundreds of players and support staff. Since the Commonwealth Games is replacing the traditional massive athletes’ village with standard hotel accommodations to save money, team sports with large rosters had to be removed to keep numbers manageable.
Edited by Ashwin
