New Delhi: Hockey is one of the major notable exclusions from the roster of the Commonwealth Games 2026. The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) on Tuesday announced 10 sports set to be part of the 23rd edition of the CWG.
The move comes on the expected lines after Glasgow chipped in with a last-minute rescuer to host a truncated version of the Commonwealth Games after Victoria pulled out as the host in July last year because of rising costs. Glasgow, which hosted the 2014 edition, has agreed to host the quadrennial event but at limited venues, which has forced the federation to drop the number of sporting disciplines from 19 (in Birmingham 2022) to 10 in the next edition.
India has claimed a total of six medals in hockey at the CWG across men’s and women’s team events. The Indian men’s hockey side has earned three silver medals in 2010 Delhi Games, 2014 Glasgow Games, and 2022 Birmingham Games.
Indian skipper Harmanpreet Singh wasn’t contended with the fact that hockey won’t be part of the CWG and also revealed that the team had targeted to bag an elusive gold medal in the tournament.
“I have got to know about it now (hockey axed from CWG). We weren’t officially aware about it. It was a big target and it’s a great tournament to play in,” Harmanpreet said in pre-match press conference ahead of the India-Germany two-match bilateral series in New Delhi.
“We had a target of gold medal there, but it’s unfortunate to hear this news. It’s not in our hands and we can’t think about it. We have to stick with the present and these two matches (against Germany) are very important for us,” Harmanpreet added.
Indian head coach Craig Fulton expressed similar feelings, but wanted his team to stay focused on the Germany matches
“It is what it is. It is unfortunate and at the same time I really was thinking about today (the Germany match). That’s (Commonwealth Games) is further down the line, another time with bigger ramifications and what happens I don’t know. We are looking to play Germany tomorrow,” the South African-based coach said.
India to play in New Delhi for international match after 10 years
India will play a two-match Test series against Germany to finalise their squad for the FIH Pro League 2024-25 season. This will be the first meeting between the two teams after their clash in the Paris Olympics semifinals, where the Germans prevailed by 3-2 in a nail-biting clash.
This is also the first match that India will play at the Major Dhyanchand National Stadium after a decade. The last international match the venue hosted was the 2014 Hero World League final. This will be the first international match for many of the Indian players in the national capital, though they have played some of their junior days here.
“The junior camp started here in 2013 and we used to practice here only. I am getting the opportunity to play here thereafter (for first international match) and I am very excited,” said Harmanpreet.
“To play here after almost 11 years… an international match is happening here; we are really excited. Our mindset remains the same in every match, to give our best and it will be the same,” he added.
Fulton wants to form core group for World Cup and Olympics
Indian coach Fulton stressed on forming a core group of players with their next big target being the 2026 World Cup in Belgium and Netherlands. The likes of midfielder Rajinder Singh and forward Aditya Arjun Lagale have been handed their first call and Mandeep Singh and Dilpreet Singh were recalled after missing out in the Asian Champions Trophy in China last month.
“If you look at it from now to the World Cup and now to LA (Los Angeles), we are just trying to open up the selection to pick a new core group that will take us from now to Word Cup and from World Cup to LA,” Fulton said.
“So you are never out of the system in that sense. Now it’s opened up again and now we are giving guys opportunities,” he added.
The Indian head coach was asked about the irrelevancy of bilateral series in hockey and how the team approaches this series. The coach rejected the belief and said that it helps them to test young talent and find their core group.
“Is it irrelevant? I think that’s not really the point. I think it’s an opportunity to test ourselves against the number two side in the world. We hope we can get two good results on home soil,” he said.
“It is always important to play Test matches; it is the test of where you are. It will be good for us, we have Rajinder and Aditya—two debutants—and we also want to see some of the other players who have come back,” he added.
