Why Glasgow 2026 Could Be a Defining Commonwealth Games for India

Boria Majumdar in Glasgow

The Commonwealth Games 2026 is different.

In normal circumstances, the Commonwealth Games ranks lower in the pecking order of multi-discipline events, with most athletes preferring to peak at the Asian Games instead, which are scheduled just a month later, in September 2026, in Japan. For someone like Neeraj Chopra, the World Championships, followed by the Diamond League and then the Asian Games, would have been the ideal route. With India hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2030, however, the 2026 edition has become far more important for Indian athletes.

For the wider Commonwealth, the Games are of even greater significance. The Commonwealth, in 2026, is an organisation searching for renewed relevance, and it arguably needs sport now more than ever.

When the Commonwealth Games began in 1930, they were conceived as an alternative to the Olympics. Organised to challenge the growing American sporting dominance at the Summer Olympics, the standard of competition at the Commonwealth Games was comparable with that of the Olympics until the 1960s. A Commonwealth gold medal was regarded as a major achievement, with winners immediately considered among the favourites for the following Olympic Games.

Politically, too, the Commonwealth Games mattered. In the context of the Non-Aligned Movement and the Bandung Conference, the Commonwealth was viewed as a significant force in the emerging global order of the decolonisation era during the 1940s and 1950s. This explains Jawaharlal Nehru’s determination to remain a member of the Commonwealth and use the Games to showcase India’s growing stature on the world stage.

Much has changed since then. The Asian Games has overtaken the Commonwealth Games in importance and, strictly speaking, medals won at the Commonwealth Games are no longer regarded as a reliable indicator of Olympic preparedness.

That is where Glasgow 2026 and Ahmedabad 2030 could prove different. Together, they could give a new lease of life to both the Commonwealth Games and the wider Commonwealth.

Every Indian athlete I have spoken to is looking forward to Glasgow.

“I’d like to win a gold medal for my country and, with fewer sports on the programme this time, every medal will be even more important,” said Mirabai Chanu.

In some disciplines, the standard of competition is comparable to that of the Olympics or World Championships. Long jump is a case in point, as Anju Bobby George has repeatedly pointed out.

With around 700 Indian athletes descending on Glasgow over the next few days, the 2026 Commonwealth Games promises to be a sporting spectacle of real significance.

Perhaps that is why Chanu said with a smile: “Please do bring a pizza to the stadium when you come for my event. I will give my best shot to win gold for India. That’s why you must get me the pizza. If you do, we’ll do an interview celebrating soon after I win, God willing.”

At RevSportz, we will be at most venues and, over the next two weeks, will bring you extensive on-the-ground coverage from Glasgow. The city is ready – and so are we.

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