A representational picture exhibiting flagbearers of the Commonwealth Video games Federation show the flag through the opening ceremony of the 2014 Commonwealth Video games at Celtic Park in Glasgow on July 23, 2014. — AFP
KARACHI: Pakistan’s prospects on the 2026 Commonwealth Video games have suffered a blow with the exclusion of a number of key sports activities from the occasion.
The host metropolis, Glasgow, introduced that wrestling, hockey, capturing, cricket, and a number of other different video games won’t be a part of the video games, considerably decreasing Pakistan’s probabilities of securing medals.
Different sports activities going through minimize embrace badminton, desk tennis, squash, rugby sevens, seashore volleyball and mountain biking.
Wrestling has been one among Pakistan’s most profitable sports activities on the commonwealth video games, contributing 46 medals, together with 21 golds. The exclusion of wrestling may have a significant influence, because it has been a constant supply of prime podium finishes for the nation.
Hockey, one other sport with a wealthy historical past in Pakistan, has additionally been excluded. Pakistan’s hockey crew beforehand received a number of medals on the commonwealth video games, and its removing additional narrows the nation’s alternatives to earn medals.
Cricket, which was featured within the 2022 Commonwealth Video games in Birmingham, may also be absent. Given Pakistan’s robust cricket crew, this omission additional weakens its medal probabilities.
Taking pictures, a sport wherein Pakistan has received three commonwealth video games medals (one silver and two bronze), has additionally been dropped from the 2026 program. This removes one more potential avenue for Pakistan so as to add to its medal tally.
In complete, Pakistan has claimed 27 gold, 27 silver, and 28 bronze medals throughout all Commonwealth Video games appearances. The absence of wrestling, hockey, cricket, and capturing will possible make it more durable for Pakistan to construct on this success in 2026.
The sports activities to be featured within the 2026 Video games embrace athletics and para-athletics, swimming and para-swimming, inventive gymnastics, observe biking and para observe biking, netball, weightlifting and para powerlifting, boxing, judo, bowls and para bowls, together with 3×3 basketball and 3×3 wheelchair basketball, which leaves Pakistan’s life like hopes relying primarily on two sports activities i.e., athletics — if Arshad Nadeem participates — and weightlifting.
