Shooting, archery, wrestling excluded from 2026 CWG

CWG), the disciplines of shooting, archery and wrestling were on Tuesday axed from the Games programme for the 2026 edition, which is to be held in the State of Victoria in Australia. The multi-sport event will take place in March 2026 across multiple cities including Melbourne, Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat and Gippsland. The local organising committee has decided to keep 16 sports on the initial list of the Games programme, with further sports to be added later this year.

The list includes aquatics (swimming, para swimming and diving), athletics & para athletics, badminton, boxing, beach volleyball, T20 cricket, cycling, gymnastics, hockey, lawn bowls and para lawn bowls, netball, rugby sevens, squash, table tennis & para table tennis, triathlon & para triathlon and weightlifting & powerlifting. Shooting, archery and wrestling were dropped from the Games programme, as it's the prerogative of the host nation to choose disciplines among the 22-strong list of core sports. The "2026/30 Strategic Roadmap" approved by the CGF in October 2021 had recommended athletics and aquatics as the only compulsory sports at future CWG to attract new audiences.

The roadmap approved had recommended the inclusion of at least 15 sports for 2026 and onwards. Shooting and archery aren't part of the upcoming Birmingham CWG as well since they were dropped from the Games programme partly owing to the lack of spectators' interest and logistical issues. Wrestling was last dropped from the Games programme in 2006 when Melbourne was the host city.

In Gold Coast, the Indian wrestlers shone bright, pocketing a total of 12 medals, including five gold. Indian shooters, too, had returned with a rich haul of 16 medals, including seven gold. In archery, which