Shooting’s inclusion, wrestling’s ouster from 2026
Shooting’s inclusion, wrestling’s ouster from 2026: Attempting to fire from within. Defeating in the ring. Or, if you prefer the Indian perspective: half a dozen gold medals are guaranteed; the other six are gone.
Considering India’s medal haul in shooting and wrestling at the last two Commonwealth Games, the addition of shooting and the removal of wrestling in 2026 should bring the total back to a draw.
However, there will be conflicting emotions: Were you relieved to hear that neither sport would be eliminated from the Victoria Games? Are you pleased to see shooting make a comeback after being thwarted this year? Or perhaps wrath, like that displayed when shooting was removed from the Birmingham Games, over the omission of wrestling, which the country has won all but one edition of since 2010.
CGF
On Wednesday, the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) revealed the complete sports schedule for the 2026 edition, which will take place in the Australian state of Victoria.
In April, organizers released a preliminary list of 16 sports that will be included in the Games four years later. Concerns were raised that shooting and wrestling, two sports in which India has traditionally been strong, would be left out, which would have had a major impact on the medal total, but they were not included in that category.
Shooting, however, has been reinstated to the CWG following months of lobbying, while other sports, like coastal rowing, cycling (BMX), and golf, will make their CWG debuts. A rise in para events, in which Indians have been quite successful (winning dozens of medals at major championships), will also be a boon for the country. As a result, wrestling was among the many sports that suffered significant losses.
Wrestling could be back in 2030
According to the CGF’s long-term plan, running and swimming are the only required sports at each game. It then suggests that host countries can choose events that are culturally and historically significant to them.
Wrestling appears to have failed here. The sport has little ties to most Commonwealth countries outside of India, Canada, and maybe even Nigeria, which is why it was left out of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.
These three countries have dominated wrestling at the CWG due to a lack of competition and small fields. Eight or fewer women competed in four weight classes for women’s wrestling at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Birmingham.
The two lowest weight classes saw only four and six competitors, respectively. Because of this, in cases when there were only four wrestlers, no bronze medal was awarded, and the organizers had to scurry to create a competitive format.
Wrestling on India’s Commonwealth Games squad is more difficult than earning a medal there.
Except for a few Eastern European countries, the Commonwealth is missing the wrestling powerhouses of Russia, the United States, Japan, Iran, and China.
Australia, who will host the 2026 Games, has only had moderate success in wrestling at the CWG, winning just two bronze medals in Birmingham. This is in contrast to their dominance in other sports.
The conventional form of wrestling and its derivative, beach wrestling, are both expected to be part of the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Still, neither will be included in the Victoria Games.
Wrestling’s absence from the 2026 CWG in Australia is understandable given the country’s dismal sports history. Still, it might come back in 2032 if the Games are staged in Canada, a Commonwealth powerhouse in the sport.
Despite the resurgence of shooting, it’s expected that fewer incidents will occur.
Wrestling, in this sense, may follow the same path as shooting.
Due to the unavailability of a suitable shooting range in the British West Midlands region and the unwillingness of organizers to invest in the construction of a new one, shooting was removed from the Birmingham CWG.
When the shooting wasn’t included in the initial list of sports for the 2026 Games, it was fast to react after being excluded from the Birmingham Games. A big factor has been Australia’s successful shooting record, which has seen them win the overall medal count and place second only to India in every competition from 2002-2018.
Shooting’s international governing organization, the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF), and Shooting Australia led the effort to get the sport reinstated in the Commonwealth Games by establishing task forces and initiating publicity campaigns. The International Shooting Sport Federation proposed to include shooting to the CGF in August.
The City of Greater Bendigo, located in central Victoria, proposed to host the event, and it is said that they did so in part because shooting is one of the few sports in which men and women are equally represented. There is also a mixed team event.
Air Rifle and Air Pistol competitions are planned for the Exhibition and Event Centre at the Bendigo Showgrounds, as per Shooting Australia. The Wellsford Rifle Range, which hosted full-bore rifle disciplines during the 2006 CWG, is another possible venue for the shooting events. The Victorian State Range, located not far from Echuca, is where most shotgun competitions will be held.
When asked which city in 2026 will play home to shooting competitions, the CGF did not provide a definitive answer. Fewer rifle, pistol, and shotgun events may be held to save money than at the last Olympics. Shotgun competitions have always been Australia’s strong suit, whereas India has ruled in the rifle and pistol disciplines.