Shooting returns for Commonwealth Games 2026, Wrestling dropped from list

Shooting - Commonwealth Games (Image Source: Twitter)

Shooting has been India’s strength in the Commonwealth Games (CWG) and the sport is all set to make a return in the 2026 edition. To comment more, the 2026 edition of the CWG will take place in Victoria and will involve 22 sports and 26 disciplines including nine fully integrated Para-sports. The Commonwealth Federation revealed the list of sports that will be a part of the 2026 edition of the event on October 5, Wednesday. 

For the unversed, India has won 134 medals in shooting alone in the CWG which include 63 Gold Medals. However, wrestling and archery were excluded from the list of sports taking place in the next edition and unfortunately for India, wrestling is yet another sport that they do well in. Indian wrestlers have won 114 medals in the global event’s history so far and out of which 49 have been Gold medals. 

The penchant that the Indian athletes have for shooting and wrestling is pretty high and it is a moment of rejoicing for shooters while a moment of languishing for the wrestlers and archers. The statement from the organizers released earlier, read they are also “proposing to add in Para-sport disciplines in golf, coastal rowing and the road (cycling) race and will work with the Commonwealth Games Federation and relevant international sporting federations to determine if this is possible.”

Golf, Coastal Rowing, BMX to make debut in 2026 CWG

Golf, Coastal Rowing and BMX will make their debut in the upcoming edition of the 2026 Global Event. Regarding the BMX, Shepparton, the rural centre will host the sport alongside other cycling events. Coastal Rowing, on other news, is trying to make its debut in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games as well. 

Here are the sports for the 2026 edition of the CWG: Athletics and Para-Athletics; Badminton; Basketball (3×3 and 3×3 Wheelchair); Boxing; Beach Volleyball; Coastal Rowing; T20 Cricket (Women’s only); Cycling (BMX, Mountain Bike, Road, Track and Para-Track); Diving; Golf; Gymnastics; Hockey; Lawn Bowls and Para Lawn Bowls; Netball; Para-Powerlifting; Rugby Sevens; Shooting and Para-shooting; Squash; Table Tennis and Para-Table Tennis; Triathlon and Para-Triathlon; Weightlifting