The 23rd Commonwealth Games, 2026, were hosted in Glasgow, Scotland, the country where the sport first originated. Almost 70+ nations participated in this year’s Commonwealth Games, which commenced on 23rd July continuing till 2nd August.
The games were played across four main stadiums of Scotland- the Scotstoun Stadium, Scottish Event Campus, and the OVO Hydro- and the opening and closing ceremonies. The other two venues were Glasgow International Arena and Tollcross International Swimming Centre.
India’s Groundbreaking Record at the 2026 CWG
India’s position in the 2026 Commonwealth Games has remained outstanding as it secured the fourth position, winning a total of 39 medals – 13 gold, 17 silver and 9 bronze.
The category in which India outperformed every other competing nation was boxing, in which India earned the highest number of medals, i.e. 10, of which 7 were gold. Sakshi Chowdhury clinched a gold medal in the women’s 51Kg category, followed by Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain, who secured a silver medal in the Women’s 75Kg weight lifting category.
Mirabai Chanu made a groundbreaking record as she earned her third consecutive gold medal in weightlifting in the CWG. This marked a remarkable moment for Chanu as she is the second Indian after Sushil Kumar to score a hat trick at the CWG.
India witnessed another fascinating feat made by Asmita Dey, daughter of a bicycle mechanic, who made India proud on the global stage by being the first-ever CWG champion to win a gold medal in the category of the Japanese Martial Art, Judo. Harsh Singh won India's first-ever CWG medal in the category of male judoka, becoming India’s first male judoka to reach the top.
Another gold was won by Sharmila Dhankar in the women’s shot put F57 event. She became India’s first para-athlete to achieve a gold medal.
Gulveer Singh bagged two medals- one silver and one bronze in the men’s 10000m and men’s 5000m, respectively, emerging as the first Indian track and field athlete.
A landmark moment was created when Tejaswi Shankar earned a bronze in the decathlon, making him the first Indian to score a decathlon medal in the CWG.
Neeraj Chopra returned to the CWG 2026 and bagged a silver in the javelin throw after he etched his name by winning a gold medal back in the 2018 CWG.
Glasgow 2026 stood as a remarkable chapter in India’s para contingent with a record-breaking performance delivered by India’s outstanding athletes.
India’s Commonwealth Journey
India’s entry into the Commonwealth Games happened in the year 1934, making this year its 19th appearance as one of the participating countries. India’s Commonwealth journey started with its first gold medal at the very first tournament, and ever since, India’s participation has been growing.
Among the top performers who consistently helped to establish India’s position on the global platform are athletes like Milkha Singh (runner), Vinesh Phogat (Wrestling), Saina Nehwal (Badminton), Jaspal Rana (Shooting), Mirabai Chanu (Weightlifting), Manika Batra (Table Tennis), Sushil Kumar (Wrestling), etc. India has the strongest hold over shooting and wrestling, followed by weightlifting and boxing.
India’s Commonwealth Games legacy reached its zenith in the 2010 CWG, which took place in the home country, Delhi, India, where India surpassed its record by winning 101 medals. India’s record to date amounts to 603 medals, among which gold medals are 216, silver medals sum up to 217 and bronze medals amount to 180.
The Reason behind India’s Sudden Fall in the Medal Chart
India’s score reduced from the previous tournaments held in the years 2010, 2018, and 2022 from 2nd to 4th position. The number of medals achieved also dropped from 101, 66, and 61 to 39, as per the 2026 CWG.
One of the primary reasons for India’s downfall is that major categories of sports which were India’s area of strength were removed from this year’s CWG. Several categories of sports like wrestling, badminton, table tennis, and hockey were left out. Shooting, one of the core areas in which India specialises, was left out.
India alone accounted forat leastt 30 medals under the shooting category. Shooting has been stripped off for the last two tournaments, and that has greatly hampered India’s performance. Tennis and Archery were also removed. Thus, India remained with the other factors, among which Boxing and Wrestling emerged as its winning sports, which largely contributed to the medal list of the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
However, India’s achievement is widely appreciated as it managed to secure 4th position even after stripping off some of the main para categories of the CWG.
Winners of the 2026 Commonwealth Games
Australia topped the charts with a total of 171 medals, making it their 15th time ranking first. The second name on the chart was England with a total of 110 medals, followed by Canada with a total of 62 medals.
India to Host the 2030 Commonwealth Games
After ratification by the Commonwealth nations, it has been formally announced that the 2030 Commonwealth Games are to be hosted by India, in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The year 2030 will commemorate 100 years of the Commonwealth Games.
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