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The decision to exclude hockey from the 2026 Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Glasgow has sparked outrage among sports officials in India. Bhola Nath Singh, the Secretary General of Hockey India, on Tuesday expressed his disappointment regarding the removal of the sport.
"This is shocking. Hockey is a very popular game in the Commonwealth Games. I don't know why the game was removed. Whether it was budget-related or something else is unclear. Where was the Indian Olympic Association during this? They should have looked into this. The main role in this is of the Indian Olympic Association," Singh said while speaking to ANI. "The way India is playing, we have defeated Australia heavily in the Olympics. Harmanpreet is right; we were in contention to win the gold medal in the Commonwealth Games," he added. "It is hard to understand who we are supposed to say this to," he said. "Ten games have been removed now; where will India win medals? India used to win medals in wrestling, hockey, shooting, cricket, and table tennis," he added. He also expressed his frustration at the lack of clarity and communication regarding the reasons behind this move. "We are talking to the International Hockey Federation and we will see what happens afterwards," he added. As the sporting community in India grapples with this unexpected blow, the call for accountability and transparency from the Indian Olympic Association and other relevant authorities grows louder. The exclusion of key sports from the Commonwealth Games has not only impacted athletes but also the country's sporting legacy on the global stage. The CWG 2026 will feature only ten sports across four venues within an eight-mile corridor, organizers Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) announced on Tuesday, as per Olympics.com. The 10-sport itinerary for Glasgow 2026 includes athletics (track and field), swimming, 3x3 basketball, track cycling, weightlifting, lawn bowls, artistic gymnastics, netball, boxing, and judo. The para variants of the first five will be part of the integrated para programme at the 2026 CWG. The list of sports for 2026 CWG is way more thinner than the 2022 edition in Birmingham, which had 20 sports. The sports excluded include hockey, cricket, badminton, wrestling, table tennis, diving, rugby sevens, beach volleyball, mountain biking, squash and rhythmic gymnastics. (ANI)
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