NEW DELHI: 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…