KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s hopes of delivering gold medals in squash and badminton at the 2026 Glasgow Games have taken a hit following the exclusion of both sports by the organisers, besides hockey and diving.
The exclusion of these sports from the 2026 Commonwealth Games is a major setback as Malaysia had always excelled and delivered medals in the event through them.
However, the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) has accepted Glasgow’s decision, citing that it was made to ensure the financial viability of the event.
OCM secretary-general Datuk Nazifuddin Najib acknowledged that the cuts were inevitable given the time constraints and the need to scale down the Games following Australia’s (Victoria) withdrawal as the original host last year.
“The focus is to deliver Games of the highest quality in a financially sustainable manner,” said Nazifuddin.
“Moving forward, it was necessary to prioritise certain sports and athlete interests. We, therefore, accept that Glasgow 2026 will be a lighter and leaner event, albeit at the expense of sports in which we (Malaysia) excel, such as badminton, diving, hockey, and squash.”
The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) officially confirmed today that Glasgow will host the 2026 Games, scheduled for July 23 to August 2. This marks the city’s second time hosting, following the 2014 edition. Malaysia came in 12th then with a medal haul of six gold medals, seven silvers, and six bronzes.
Glasgow stepped in after Malaysia declined the offer to replace Victoria. The 2026 event will feature a 10-sport programme held across four venues.
Around 3,000 athletes from 74 Commonwealth nations and territories are expected to compete, representing approximately one-third of the world’s population.
In this scaled-down edition, sports such as badminton, diving, archery, T20 cricket, hockey, rowing, rugby sevens, and squash will not be featured.
Instead, the 10 confirmed sports are aquatics (swimming), athletics, basketball 3×3, boxing, track cycling, gymnastics, judo, lawn bowls, netball, and weightlifting.
Integrated para events will be held in six of these sports: swimming, athletics, basketball, track cycling, lawn bowls, and weightlifting. These inclusions are seen as key priorities and distinguishing features of the 2026 Games.
Nazifuddin also remarked that the upcoming edition aims to redefine the Commonwealth Games with a more collaborative, flexible, and sustainable model that minimises costs, reduces environmental impact, and enhances social benefits. He believes this new approach will open up hosting opportunities for more countries in the future.
“The 2026 Games provide an opportunity to establish a blueprint for sustainable and accessible Commonwealth Games,” he added.
“It’s unfortunate that our strong sports have been affected, but this was a necessary step.”
OCM plans to hold discussions with key stakeholders, including the National Sports Council, the National Sports Institute, and various National Sports Associations to address the challenges posed by the changes to the 2026 Commonwealth Games programme. – October 22, 2024