Neeraj Chopra and Mirabhai Chanu (Image credit: Agencies)
India will begin its Commonwealth Games campaign in Glasgow on Thursday with a combined 125-member squad aimed at maximizing its opportunities in a significantly reduced programme.
The Games, held from July 23 to August 2, will feature just 10 sports, forcing India to reset expectations after a highly successful campaign in Birmingham four years ago.The Indian team consists of 77 men and 48 women competing in eight disciplines for able-bodied people and five disciplines for those with special needs. Athletics form the backbone of the campaign, with 32 competitors participating, while boxing and judo each include 14 athletes, weightlifting 12, and swimming five. Tokyo Olympics 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 has 190 members – 125 athletes, 51 coaches and support staff and 14 officials.Unlike Birmingham, where India fielded 210 athletes and won 61 medals, including 22 golds, Glasgow presents a completely different challenge. The program was reduced from 19 sports in 2022 to 10, with medal-rich disciplines such as badminton, wrestling, hockey, table tennis, cricket and squash being dropped.
These six sports accounted for 30 Indian medals in Birmingham, sharply reducing the country’s traditional medal base.Despite the abbreviated programme, India boasts several genuine contenders for gold. Tokyo Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra returns to the CWG after missing Birmingham due to injury and will renew his rivalry with Pakistani Olympic and Commonwealth champion Arshad Nadeem. The field also includes Sri Lanka’s world leader Romesh Patiraj.
Chopra, the 2018 champion, remains the greatest hope in Indian athletics.Long jumper Murali Sreeshankar, a silver medalist at Birmingham, and high jumper Sarvesh Koshary, who set a national record of 2.31m last month before finishing third at the Monaco Diamond League meet, are boosting India’s track and field ambitions. Other key names include Gurinderveer Singh, Animesh Kujur, Parul Chaudhary, Tajinderpal Singh Toor and Gulveer Singh.India’s weightlifting challenge will once again be led by Mirabai, who is bidding for a fourth CWG medal and a third gold in a row. The boxing team includes proven competitors like Lovlina, Sakshi Chaudhary, Preeti Pawar and Jasmine Lamboria.The team spans generations, with 49-year-old bowler Dinesh Kumar Singh the oldest athlete and 16-year-old cyclist Leesha Das the youngest. Competitions will be held at Scotstoun Stadium, Scottish Campus, Glasgow International Arena and Tollcross International Swimming Centre.With Ahmedabad set to host the Centenary Commonwealth Games in 2030, Glasgow not only offers India a chance at medals, but also provides a valuable learning opportunity before welcoming the sporting community back home.
Sports excluded from Commonwealth Games in Glasgow :
Shooting (63 gold medals won by India so far), Table Tennis (10 gold medals), Wrestling (over 100 medals total, including 6 gold at Birmingham 2022 Games), Field Hockey (3 silver for men while women won gold in 2002, silver in 2006 and bronze in 2022), and squash (women’s doubles gold in Glasgow 2014), and Women’s Cricket (Silver). In 2022).
Why were these sports excluded?
Glasgow intervened after the Australian state of Victoria withdrew due to escalating costs. Organizers have reduced the Games to 10 sports at four venues within an eight-mile radius to keep expenses under control. Victoria’s projected budget swelled to around 14,500 kroner. Glasgow will operate on a leaner budget of £150 million (about 1,750 crore), with £100 million in funding coming from Commonwealth Sport.