How The Exclusion Of Major Sports From The Glasgow Commonwealth Games Will Affect Malaysia
In the last Games, our athletes won 15 medals, including four golds, from sports that have now been excluded from the 2026 edition.
The 2026 Commonwealth Games, set to be held in Glasgow, will see a significant reduction in the number of sports due to rising costs
Major sports like wrestling, badminton, hockey, cricket, and squash have been excluded, leaving athletes and sporting organisations across the Commonwealth countries disappointed.
The Commonwealth Games Federation announced that the 2026 edition will feature only 10 sports, compared to the 18 contested in the 2022 Games in Birmingham, reported the BBC.
Countries like Malaysia and India will likely feel the impact of this downsizing, as these exclusions directly affect their traditional medal strongholds.
Malaysia has performed well at the Commonwealth Games, winning a total of 238 medals so far, with athletes contributing heavily in sports like badminton, squash, and diving
Our athletes won 15 medals, including four golds, at the 2022 Birmingham Games from sports now removed from the 2026 lineup. With these sports cut, Malaysia will likely struggle to match or surpass its tally of 23 medals from the 2022 Games.
The exclusion of badminton, a sport in which Malaysia has won 31 gold medals throughout the Games' history, is particularly damaging. Similarly, the omission of squash further diminishes Malaysia's prospects.
Datuk Nazifuddin Najib, secretary-general of the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM), acknowledged the harsh realities but expressed understanding for Glasgow's decision, according to the New Straits Times.
"The focus is to create a Games that could be delivered to the highest quality in a financially sustainable way. We therefore accept the fact Glasgow 2026 will be lighter and leaner than previous Games, at the expense of sports we are strong in, such as badminton, diving, hockey, and squash," Nazifuddin stated, adding that OCM will engage with relevant stakeholders to strategise for the 2026 edition.
Malaysian badminton players posing with their medals at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Image via ytimg.com
The 2026 Games are scheduled to take place from 23 July to 2 August
The multi-sport event will include athletics and para athletics, swimming and para swimming, artistic gymnastics, track cycling and para track cycling, netball, weightlifting and para powerlifting, boxing, judo, bowls and para bowls as well as 3x3 Basketball and 3x3 Wheelchair Basketball, according to the Commonwealth Games Federation.
Earlier, Malaysia turned down the offer to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, citing insufficient funding to cover the expenses:
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