File photo of Pullela Gopichand© X (Twitter)
The legendary Pullela Gopichand and Vimal Kumar on Tuesday slammed the decision to exclude sports such as badminton from 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games and urged the country to not send a team to the event as it is aimed at "stunting" India's progress. In a blow to India's medal prospects in the Commonwealth Games, key sports such as hockey, badminton, wrestling, cricket, table tennis and shooting have been dropped from the 2026 edition by host city Glasgow, which unveiled a pruned roster of 10 disciplines to keep the event budget-friendly and free of "operational risks".
But the roster has stunned the Indian sports fraternity with Gopichand and Vimal coming out with the strongest reactions.
"There is no need for CWG. In my opinion, they should do away with it. It is better to organise Olympics and Asian Games than CWG. It is pathetic, I am really disappointed. CWG is losing its charm, it's relevance, so I feel strongly we shouldn't send out a team for CWG, it is not required," former India coach Vimal told PTI.
"Instead of CWG it is important to look at ways to provide better facilities to athletes at Olympics and Asian Games. CWG is not required. You have to put good physical sport in the program, if you take away all that then what's the point," he added.
Relocated to the Scottish capital after Victoria's withdrawal as host due to an increase in projected costs, the Games will feature just 10 events, which is nine less than the previous edition held in 2022 in Birmingham.
Squash and archery are also not part of what will be a massively pruned down Games.
Gopichand, who is often credited with creating a pipeline of top badminton players by identifying them at a young age, described the move by the games' organisers' as appalling.
"I am deeply appalled and disappointed by the decision to exclude badminton from the 2026 Commonwealth Games -- a judgment that appears to be aimed at stunting the progress of nations like India," the former All England champion said.
Gopichand added, "Badminton has brought us immense pride and success, serving as a vital platform for our brightest talents to shine on the international stage.
"This decision represents a significant lapse not just for Indian badminton, but for the sport worldwide, lacking clear reasoning and jeopardizing its growth." Gopichand said India must strongly object to this decision and raise the matter with the appropriate authorities.
"It is crucial that we raise our voices and bring this issue to the appropriate authorities to ensure badminton continues to thrive and inspire future generations.
"As the sport experiences exponential growth globally, the reasons for its exclusion must be scrutinized and discussed with the relevant stakeholders.
"We cannot allow such shortsighted decisions to undermine the progress we have tirelessly achieved," he said.
The 23rd edition of the Games is scheduled to take place from July 23 to August 2, marking Glasgow's return as host after 12 years.
India sent 210 athletes to the 2022 Birmingham Games across 16 sports, winning 61 medals in the process with 30 of those podium finishes coming from disciplines that won't be there at the Glasgow Games.
Saurav Ghosal, one of India's greatest squash players, described it as a backward step after the sport's inclusion at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
"Obviously very disappointing that squash is not there in the Commonwealth Games, you know, especially after getting into the Olympics for 2028 last year.
"It's been a very, very important event in the squash calendar since it was first there in 1998. We really hope that this is an anomaly and that moving forward squash will rightfully take its place back in the list of sports for the Commonwealth Games," Ghosal told PTI.
Ghosal is India's first singles medallist at the Games, having won bronze in the 2022 edition in Birmingham.