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As Olympic and World Championships medallist Mirabai Chanu stood atop the podium in Glasgow on Sunday, tears rolling down her cheeks after becoming the first woman weightlifter to secure her third consecutive Commonwealth Games gold medal, she provided much-needed succour to a Games that had risked fading into oblivion a few years ago. With India set to host the centenary edition of the Games in Ahmedabad in 2030, there could not have been a better advertisement than Mirabai’s golden triumph, which also ensured her fourth medal of any colour in a row in the women’s 48kg category with a total of 190kg. The seasoned weightlifter’s feat may not be the only glorious chapter written in the Scottish city, as other leading Indian athletes are expected to climb the podium in athletics and para-athletics, weightlifting and para-weightlifting, boxing, judo, and lawn bowls and para-bowls. According to an internal estimation by the Union Sports Ministry, India’s athletes are expected to win around 30 medals even though several disciplines in which Indians have traditionally excelled — such as wrestling, badminton, table tennis, hockey and squash — were dropped from the scaled-down Glasgow event. Medals are expected from Neeraj Chopra, Murali Sreeshankar, Praveen Chithravel, and boxers Lovlina Borgohain and Jaismine Lamboria.
The curtailed Commonwealth Games highlights the diminishing relevance of the erstwhile British Empire’s sporting tradition. The 2026 edition, originally allotted to Victoria, faced an existential threat after the Australian State withdrew as a host three years ago due to spiralling costs. Glasgow, the host in 2014, saved the Games from embarrassment by proposing a scaled-down version — with 10 integrated disciplines, across four venues within an eight-mile corridor. Even though the Commonwealth Games do not match the global or regional excellence of the Olympics or the Asian Games, the platform still holds a strong appeal for Indian sportspersons and administrators. While India’s success at the elite world level across different sports has been sporadic, it has the dubious distinction of topping the global doping charts for three successive years. Multiple athletes across disciplines have been caught for consuming banned substances even in the run-up to Glasgow 2026. Either they have been withdrawn from the Indian contingent or have failed to qualify due to this, impacting the nation’s medal chances and bringing it shameful international headlines. As the country prepares to organise a bigger Commonwealth Games — especially against the backdrop of the corruption-tainted Delhi 2010 edition — it would do well to enhance its vigilance to curb financial malpractices and promote clean sport over the next four years.
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