India begins its Commonwealth Games 2026 campaign in Glasgow on Thursday with a compact 125-member contingent, aiming to maximise medal opportunities in a drastically trimmed programme that runs from July 23 to August 2.
With the Games reduced to just 10 sports, India has had to recalibrate expectations after a highly successful Birmingham 2022 outing, where it fielded 210 athletes and won 61 medals, including 22 gold. The Glasgow programme, cut from 19 sports in 2022 to 10, omits several medal-rich disciplines for India, reshaping the country’s traditional medal base.
The Indian squad features 77 men and 48 women competing across eight able-bodied and five para disciplines. Athletics forms the backbone of the campaign with 32 competitors, while boxing and judo have 14 athletes each, weightlifting has 12, and swimming has five.
India’s leaders and the medal focus in a reduced Games
Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Mirabai Chanu will be India’s flagbearer at the opening ceremony, while Tokyo bronze medallist and former world champion boxer Lovlina Borgohain will serve as baton bearer. The overall Indian delegation numbers 190 members, comprising 125 athletes, 51 coaches and support staff, and 14 contingent officials.
Despite the reduced programme, India still arrives with multiple gold contenders. Neeraj Chopra, the Tokyo Olympic champion, returns to the Commonwealth Games after missing Birmingham due to injury and will renew his rivalry with Pakistan’s reigning Olympic and Commonwealth champion Arshad Nadeem. The field also includes Sri Lanka’s world leader Rumesh Pathirage. Chopra, the 2018 Commonwealth champion, is positioned as India’s biggest athletics hope in Glasgow.
India’s track and field ambitions are also bolstered by long jumper Murali Sreeshankar, a Birmingham silver medallist, and high jumper Sarvesh Kushare, who set a national record of 2.31 metres last month before finishing third at the Monaco Diamond League meeting. Other key names listed in the athletics group include Gurindervir Singh, Animesh Kujur, Parul Chaudhary, Tajinderpal Singh Toor and Gulveer Singh.
In weightlifting, Mirabai is again the central figure for India’s medal push, chasing a fourth Commonwealth Games medal and a third successive gold. India’s boxing squad includes established contenders such as Lovlina, Sakshi Chaudhary, Preeti Pawar and Jaismine Lamboria, adding depth to the medal prospects in a programme where each podium opportunity carries increased value.
The trimmed schedule has a clear impact on India’s medal outlook. Disciplines omitted from Glasgow include badminton, wrestling, hockey, table tennis, cricket and squash—sports that collectively accounted for 30 of India’s medals in Birmingham. The absence of shooting is also notable, with India having won 63 gold medals in that sport at the Commonwealth Games to date, according to the source list included in the report.
The contingent also spans generations, with 49-year-old lawn bowler Dinesh Kumar Singh named as the oldest athlete and 16-year-old para cyclist Lisha Das the youngest. Competitions are set to be staged at Scotstoun Stadium, the Scottish Event Campus, Glasgow International Arena and Tollcross International Swimming Centre.
Why Glasgow 2026 looks different—and what it means for India
The Glasgow Games have been reshaped after the Australian state of Victoria withdrew, citing escalating costs. Organisers responded by trimming the event to 10 sports across four venues within an eight-mile radius to keep expenses under control. Victoria’s projected budget had reportedly ballooned to around 14,500 crore, while Glasgow will operate on a leaner £150 million (around 1,750 crore) budget, with £100 million funded by the Commonwealth Sport.
For India, that context matters because the smaller sports roster reduces the country’s traditional medal pathways and places a premium on execution in the disciplines that remain. At the same time, the campaign in Glasgow is framed as more than a medal chase: with Ahmedabad set to host the centenary Commonwealth Games in 2030, the 2026 edition offers a learning opportunity as India prepares to welcome the sporting community at home in four years.
