India will field a 126-member contingent across eight sports. (Photo: X)
Glasgow: The countdown to the Commonwealth Games 2026 has begun, with India set to compete in Glasgow, Scotland, from July 23 to August 2. The Games returned in a compact format after Glasgow stepped in as host following Victoria, Australia’s withdrawal.
India will field a 126-member contingent across eight sports, with medal hopes resting largely on athletics, weightlifting and boxing. The opening ceremony will be held on July 23 at 10:30 PM IST, marking the start of an 11-day sporting spectacle.
India’s campaign gets underway on July 23 with Lawn Bowls, a discipline in which the country won one gold and one silver medal at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
The first day will feature the Men’s Singles and Women’s Pairs group-stage matches from 2 PM IST, followed by the opening ceremony later in the evening.
India’s strongest medal prospects come in athletics, weightlifting and boxing.
Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra will headline India’s athletics campaign in the men’s javelin throw, where he is expected to face Pakistan’s Olympic gold medallist Arshad Nadeem. Other key names include long jumper Murali Sreeshankar, triple jumper Praveen Chithravel, and distance runner Gulveer Singh.
In weightlifting, Olympic medallist Mirabai Chanu will be the favourite in the women’s 48kg category. Bindyarani Devi and Gyaneshwari Yadav are also among India’s top medal contenders.
The boxing squad features Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain, world champion Jaismine Lamboria, Sakshi Chaudhary, and Preeti Pawar, all expected to challenge for podium finishes.
Apart from the traditional medal-winning sports, India will also look towards Tulika Maan in judo, the Lawn Bowls teams, and para-athlete Soman Rana for strong performances.
The Games will also feature para events, including para athletics, para swimming, para powerlifting and wheelchair basketball.
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July 23 (Thursday)
Lawn Bowls group-stage matches – 2:00 PM
Opening Ceremony – 10:30 PM onwards
July 24-25
Boxing preliminary bouts begin
Artistic gymnastics team events
Swimming and para swimming finals
Para powerlifting medal events
3x3 Wheelchair Basketball begins
July 26-30
Weightlifting medal events, including Mirabai Chanu's women's 48kg final
Athletics and para athletics get underway
Lawn Bowls medal matches
Track cycling starts on July 30
July 31-August 2
Men's javelin throw final featuring Neeraj Chopra
Boxing semi-finals and gold medal bouts
Athletics finals across multiple disciplines
Judo medal events
Track cycling finals
Closing Ceremony on August 2
The biggest medal opportunities are expected between July 27 and August 2, when athletics, boxing, weightlifting, cycling and judo reach their medal stages. Neeraj Chopra's javelin final, Mirabai Chanu's weightlifting event and the boxing finals are among the most anticipated contests for Indian fans.
Notably, badminton, table tennis, wrestling and shooting are not part of the Glasgow 2026 programme, making this one of the most compact editions of the Commonwealth Games.
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Live Streaming: Sony LIV
