After it was shot down from the Birmingham Games, shooting has been on its toes and was quick to react when it did not feature in the initial list of sports for the 2026 edition. (File)Shooting in. Wrestling out. Or, from India’s point of view, half a dozen or so gold medals all but certain; other six lost.
On face value, shooting’s return to the 2026 Commonwealth Games and the organisers’ decision to drop wrestling will even out for India medal-wise, going by the tallies in these two sports in the last two editions. Yet, there’ll be mixed feelings: Relieved that both sports have not been dropped from the Victoria Games? Happy that shooting, after it was shot down this year, makes a return? Or outrage, as was the case when shooting was dropped from the Birmingham Games, over the exclusion of wrestling, a sport that the country has dominated in all but one edition since 2010?
The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), on Wednesday, announced the final sports programme for the 2026 edition that will be held across the Australian state of Victoria. In April, the organisers had announced an initial list of 16 sports that would be a part of the Games four years later. Shooting and wrestling were not a part of that group, raising concerns that the two sports in which India is traditionally strong will be omitted, which would’ve severely impacted the medal tally.
However, after months of lobbying, shooting has made a comeback to the CWG while coastal rowing, cycling (BMX) and golf will make their Games debut. Another boost for India will be the increase in the number of para events, where Indians have won medals by the dozen in major competitions. Wrestling, in the process, became one of the big casualties.
Introducing the Victoria 2026 Sports Programme! 🇦🇺
Set to feature 20 sports across regional Victoria, we can’t wait to see the action packed programme in full force in just over 3 years’ time!
To read more ⬇️#CommonwealthSport
— Commonwealth Sport (@thecgf) October 5, 2022
Wrestling could be back in 2030
The CGF’s strategic roadmap recommends that athletics and swimming be the only two compulsory sports at each Games. It goes on to suggest that host nations can pick sports that are ‘relevant’ to them and their culture.
This is where wrestling seems to have lost out. The sport, which did not feature at the Melbourne CWG in 2006, isn’t associated strongly with Commonwealth nations other than India, Canada and, to some extent, Nigeria. These three countries have largely dominated CWG wrestling, mostly due to poor competition and thin fields. In India’s case, the fight to get into the wrestling team for the CWG is tougher than winning a medal at the Games themselves.
The countries that are traditionally strong in wrestling – Russia, USA, Japan, Iran and China apart from some Eastern European nations – are not part of the Commonwealth. Countries in Oceania, Africa and the British Isles do not boast of a great wrestling culture and the hosts of the 2026 Games, Australia, have had modest results in wrestling compared to their stranglehold in other sports at the CWG, winning just two bronze medals in Birmingham.
It was hoped that at least beach wrestling, a variant that is likely to feature at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics alongside the traditional version, would feature at the Victoria Games but that wasn’t to be the case.
Given Australia’s poor record, it isn’t surprising that wrestling has been excluded from the 2026 CWG but the sport could make a return four years later when the Games will be held – most likely – in Canada, a Commonwealth wrestling powerhouse.
Shooting returns, but fewer events likely
In that sense, wrestling could go the shooting way.
Shooting was dropped from the Birmingham CWG because of the lack of availability of a decent range in the British West Midlands region, and the unwillingness on the part of organisers to invest in building a new facility.
After it was shot down from the Birmingham Games, shooting has been on its toes and was quick to react when it did not feature in the initial list of sports for the 2026 edition. It helped that Australia has had a decent medal haul in shooting – topping the overall tally and finishing behind India in all but one edition between 2002 and 2018.
So, led by its world governing body ISSF and Shooting Australia, the sport made a concerted effort to be reintegrated into the CWG by forming working groups and launching various campaigns. In August, the ISSF submitted an expression of interest for the inclusion of shooting to the CGF.
Among other aspects, shooting is believed to have played its gender parity card – it is among the sports that have equal representation of men and women along with a mixed team event – while the City of Greater Bendigo in central Victoria offered to host the event.
According to Shooting Australia, the Exhibition and Event Centre at the Bendigo Showgrounds are the proposed venues for Air Rifle and Air Pistol events. The organisers also have the option of hosting shooting at the Wellsford Rifle Range, which hosted the full-bore rifle competitions during the 2006 CWG. Shotgun events are likely to be conducted at the Victorian State Range in the nearby town of Echuca.
The CGF did not specify the city that will host shooting events in 2026. It is also likely that the number of events in rifle, pistol and shotgun could be reduced compared to the previous Games to make it more cost-effective for the organisers. Australia has traditionally been strong in shotgun events while India has dominated rifle and pistol categories.
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In: Shooting
Out: Wrestling, judo
Debut: Coastal Rowing, cycling (BMX), golf
Para events: Athletics, swimming, 3×3 basketball, track cycling, lawn bowls, shooting, table tennis, triathlon, powerlifting