Twenty-year wait ends in Indian para athletics gold

The team concluded its medal quest at the 2026 Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow after collecting a total of 39 medals, comprising 13 gold, 17 silver and 9 bronze. Although the total number of medals won by India at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games is lower than that collected by the nation in 2022 in Birmingham, which is 61, it should be noted that the two events differ greatly. While Birmingham featured a program of about 20 sports, Glasgow featured a much smaller program of 10 sports.

Thereby, there is a need to offer some kind of explanation regarding the reduction in the number of medals obtained by India at the Glasgow Games. It is necessary to say that wrestling, badminton, table tennis and hockey were not included in the program of the Games in Glasgow, while they were very popular and contributed significantly to winning medals at the Games in Birmingham. Therefore, taking into consideration the performance of India in Glasgow and Birmingham in terms of common disciplines, one can state that India performed better in Glasgow.

The other story of the Games involved the boxing competition. The boxers from India were responsible for giving the most medals in India's medal haul, thus propelling India towards a strong finish in the rankings. This was even more crucial since it meant that the depth in Indian boxing was growing instead of being solely reliant on a few top names. Apart from boxing, weightlifting, athletics, judo, and para sports were some of the other disciplines which contributed greatly towards the medal haul.

One of the standout athletes at the event was Mirabai Chanu, who won her third consecutive Commonwealth Games gold medal.

Athletics provided hope as well. India won 10 medals in athletics from a squad of 32 participants, up from 8 medals that 37 athletes won in Birmingham. This is an important feat since athletics is among the biggest sports in major international events, and performing well in it might increase the number of medal-winning avenues for India. Another individual who did really well was Gulveer Singh, who became India’s sole athlete to win two medals at the Glasgow Games.

The biggest positive point came from para sports. India’s para athletes made their best Commonwealth Games performance by winning 7 medals. What makes the feat particularly important is the fact that the 7 medals won matched the total para-medal tally of India across all previous Commonwealth Games.

The significance of the performances made during the Games is that they highlight changes taking place in Indian sport as well. Success has been increasingly witnessed in various areas and categories of sport that have historically not enjoyed as much recognition and development. The performance in Glasgow indicates the growth of India's sporting system with regard to having athletes who can take part in international competitions.

At the same time, there were some limitations highlighted by the Games. Since the Games were intentionally made smaller-scale in nature, the performance of India at the Games cannot be regarded as a full reflection of the sporting achievements made by India. Various sports where India traditionally wins medals were absent from the program. Moreover, various top athletes across the Commonwealth took no part in the competition.

This makes the fourth-place finish by India all the more commendable and incomparable with other games. This is because the country has not had the luxury of participating in most of the sports that contribute towards their total medal haul, but even then, they finished within the top four countries.

Apart from being another success story for India, the Glasgow Games had one more importance for India as they heralded the countdown towards the 2030 games in Ahmedabad. In the closing ceremony of the games, the responsibility of hosting the next Commonwealth Games was officially handed over to India. This shows that the next big challenge for India, as far as the Commonwealth Games are concerned, will be to host them on home ground.

Hosting the 2030 Games will bring new pressure on India as they would have to show that they are capable enough to conduct a big international event in addition to putting on a good show in front of their own people.

The 2026 Games cannot then be assessed only through the comparison of 39 and 61. Whereas Glasgow gave India fewer chances, it also showcased some positive changes, including improvement in boxing, success of the athletics team, a record-breaking performance of para athletes and international experience for younger athletes.

The importance of Glasgow for India may actually go far beyond the medal tally. India has now returned with proof of the growing sports base, while the baton of organising has been passed to Ahmedabad.

The 39 medals won in Scotland may turn out to be the least number of medals won at the Commonwealth Games for India. But what really matters is whether they will turn into something bigger, an enhanced and stronger Indian team ready for the home games in 2030.

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