Neeraj Chopra Leads India's Gold Rush at Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2026 -

July 23, 2026

0 likes

Neeraj Chopra Leads India’s Gold Rush at Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2026

India’s journey at the Commonwealth Games 2026 starts on Thursday in Glasgow, and the country has sent a strong team of 125 athletes to chase medals. This year’s Games look very different from the last one held in Birmingham. The event runs from July 23 to August 2 and covers only 10 sports, a big drop from the 19 sports played in 2022. This means India has to rethink its medal plans since many of its strong sports have been left out this time.

India’s squad for Glasgow has 77 men and 48 women. They will compete in eight regular sports and five para sports. Along with the athletes, the full Indian group includes 51 coaches and support staff, plus 14 officials, taking the total number to 190 people.

Athletics is the biggest part of India’s team, with 32 athletes taking part. Boxing and judo follow with 14 athletes each. Weightlifting has 12 athletes, and swimming has five. This shows India is putting most of its hope on track and field events this year.

Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Mirabai Chanu will carry the Indian flag at the opening ceremony. Lovlina Borgohain, who won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics and was once a world champion in boxing, will carry the baton. Both these women have brought great pride to India in the past, and their presence adds strength to the team.

Why This Commonwealth Games Is So Different

Four years ago, in Birmingham, India sent 210 athletes and won 61 medals in total, including 22 gold medals. That was one of India’s best performances at the Commonwealth Games. But this time, the story is not the same.

The reason behind this change goes back to Australia’s Victoria state, which was set to host the 2026 Games. Victoria pulled out because the cost of hosting the Games kept rising. Their budget had grown to nearly 14,500 crore rupees, which became too expensive for them to manage.

Glasgow then stepped in to save the Games. But to keep costs low, they cut down the number of sports from 19 to just 10. All events will now take place in four venues within eight miles of each other. This has helped Glasgow keep its budget small, at around £150 million, which is close to 1,750 crore rupees. Out of this, £100 million is being given by Commonwealth Sport itself.

Sports That Got Left Out

Because of the cost-cutting, some sports where India usually wins many medals have been removed from this year’s Games. These include:

Shooting, where India has won 63 gold medals in Commonwealth Games history
Table tennis, where India has won 10 gold medals
Wrestling, where India has won more than 100 medals, including 6 gold in Birmingham alone
Field hockey, where the Indian women’s team has won gold, silver, and bronze in past editions
Squash, where India’s women’s doubles team won gold in Glasgow back in 2014
Women’s cricket, where India won a silver medal in Birmingham in 2022

These six sports alone gave India 30 medals in Birmingham. Without them, India’s medal count in Glasgow is likely to be much smaller than before. But this also means India will need to depend more on athletics, boxing, and weightlifting to bring home medals this time.

Neeraj Chopra’s Big Return

One of the biggest highlights for India at these Games is the return of Neeraj Chopra. He is the reigning Olympic champion in javelin throw and one of India’s most loved athletes. Neeraj missed the Birmingham Games in 2022 due to an injury, so this will be his big comeback at the Commonwealth stage.

Neeraj had already won gold at the Commonwealth Games back in 2018, so he knows what it takes to win here. This time, he will face tough competition from Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who is the current Olympic and Commonwealth champion in javelin throw. Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage, who currently has the best throw in the world this year, will also be a strong challenger.

Even with such tough rivals, Neeraj remains India’s top hope for gold in athletics. His name alone brings a lot of attention to India’s campaign in Glasgow.

Other Athletes to Watch

Apart from Neeraj, India has several other strong athletes who could win medals in Glasgow.

Murali Sreeshankar, who won a silver medal in long jump at the Birmingham Games, is back again to try for a better result this time. High jumper Sarvesh Kushare has been in great form recently. Last month, he set a new national record by jumping 2.31 metres, and he also finished third at the Monaco Diamond League, which is one of the biggest athletics events in the world.

Other important names in India’s athletics team include Gurindervir Singh, Animesh Kujur, Parul Chaudhary, Tajinderpal Singh Toor, and Gulveer Singh. These athletes have all performed well in recent competitions and could add more medals to India’s tally.

Mirabai Chanu’s Weightlifting Challenge

In weightlifting, all eyes will be on Mirabai Chanu once again. She has already won three medals at past Commonwealth Games and is now aiming for her fourth medal and third gold in a row. Given her past record, she remains one of India’s safest bets for a gold medal in Glasgow.

Boxing Squad Full of Fighters

India’s boxing team also has several strong names who have performed well on the international stage. Along with Lovlina Borgohain, the team includes Sakshi Chaudhary, Preeti Pawar, and Jaismine Lamboria. All these boxers have shown good form in recent tournaments and could bring home medals for India in Glasgow.

Youngest and Oldest Athletes in the Team

India’s team for Glasgow has athletes from many different age groups. The oldest athlete in the team is lawn bowler Dinesh Kumar Singh, who is 49 years old. On the other hand, the youngest athlete is para cyclist Lisha Das, who is just 16 years old. This shows that India’s team has a good mix of experienced players and young talent, which could help the team perform well across different events.

Where the Games Will Take Place

All the events in Glasgow will be held at four main venues. These are Scotstoun Stadium, the Scottish Event Campus, Glasgow International Arena, and Tollcross International Swimming Centre. Since all these venues are close to each other, it will be easier for athletes and fans to move between different events during the Games.

Looking Ahead to 2030

While Glasgow is hosting a smaller version of the Commonwealth Games this time, India has bigger plans for the future. In 2030, India will host the Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad, marking 100 years since the Games first began. This makes Glasgow an important event for India, as the country can use this experience to prepare better for hosting its own Games in the near future.

With strong athletes like Neeraj Chopra, Mirabai Chanu, and Lovlina Borgohain leading the way, India will look to make the most of the events available this time. Even though many of India’s strongest sports have been removed from the programme, the country still has enough talent across athletics, boxing, and weightlifting to put up a good fight in Glasgow.