Hunt for Glasgow gold begins: Neeraj Chopra, Mirabai Chanu lead India’s 2026 Commonwealth Games medal hopes

Neeraj Chopra and Mirabai Chanu (Image credit: Agencies) India will begin their Commonwealth Games campaign in Glasgow on Thursday with a compact yet accomplished 125-member contingent looking to maximize their opportunities in a drastically shortened schedule. The Games, which run from July 23 to August 2, feature just 10 sports, forcing India to reassess expectations after a highly successful campaign in Birmingham four years ago.The Indian squad consists of 77 men and 48 women competing in eight able-bodied and five para disciplines. Athletics forms the backbone of the campaign with 32 competitors, while boxing and judo each have 14 athletes, weightlifting 12 and swimming five. Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Mirabai Chanu will be India’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony, while Tokyo bronze medalist and former world boxing champion Lovlina Borgohain will be the baton bearer. The total Indian delegation consists of 190 members – 125 athletes, 51 coaches and support staff and 14 contingent officials.Unlike Birmingham, where India fielded 210 athletes and won 61 medals, including 22 gold, Glasgow presents a completely different challenge. The program was cut from 19 sports to 10 in 2022, leaving out medal-rich disciplines such as badminton, wrestling, hockey, table tennis, cricket and squash. These six sports accounted for 30 of India’s medals in Birmingham, significantly reducing the country’s traditional medal base.Despite a limited schedule, India boast some real contenders for gold. Tokyo Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra returns to the CWG after missing Birmingham due to injury and will renew his rivalry with Pakistan’s reigning Olympic and Commonwealth champion Arshad Nadeem. Sri Lanka’s world number one Rumesh Pathirage is also in the field. Chopra, the 2018 champion, remains India’s biggest athletics hope.Distance runner Murali Sreeshankar, a silver medalist from Birmingham, and high jumper Sarvesh Kushare, who set a national record of 2.31m before finishing third at the Monaco Diamond League meet last month, further bolster India’s athletics ambitions. Other key names include Gurindervir Singh, Animesh Kujur, Parul Chaudhary, Tajinderpal Singh Toor and Gulveer Singh.India’s weightlifting challenge will once again be led by Mirabai, who is chasing her fourth CWG medal and third gold in a row. The boxing team includes proven candidates like Lovlina, Sakshi Chaudhary, Preeti Pawar and Jaismine Lamboria.The contingent spans generations, with the oldest athlete being 49-year-old lawn bowler Dinesh Kumar Singh and the youngest being 16-year-old para-cyclist Lisha Das. Competitions will be held at Scotstoun Stadium, Scottish Event Campus, Glasgow International Arena and Tollcross International Swimming Centre.With Ahmedabad set to host the Centenary Commonwealth Games in 2030, Glasgow offers India not only a chance at medals but also a valuable learning opportunity before welcoming home to the sporting community.

Sports excluded from the Glasgow Commonwealth Games:

Shooting (63 gold medals won in India so far), Table Tennis (10 gold), Wrestling (100+ total medals, including 6 gold at the 2022 Birmingham Games), Field Hockey (3 silver for men, while the women won gold in 2002, silver in 2006 and bronze in 2022), Squash (Women’s singles Glasgorick in 20sil women gold in 2022 2022).

Why are these sports excluded?

Glasgow intervened after the Australian state of Victoria pulled out, citing rising costs. Organizers limited the games to 10 sports at four venues within an eight-mile radius to control expenses. Victoria’s projected budget increased to approximately 14,500 cr. Glasgow will operate on a leaner budget of £150m (around £1,750cr), with Commonwealth Sport funding £100m.