Commonwealth Games 2026: India Sends 125 Athletes Across 13 Sports for Glasgow Campaign

India will send a 125-member athlete contingent to the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, with several Olympic and world championship medallists leading the country's challenge at the multi-sport event scheduled from July 23 to August 2.

The Indian squad comprises 77 men and 48 women, competing across 13 disciplines, including four para sports. While the contingent is significantly smaller than the 215 athletes India fielded at Birmingham 2022, the reduction is largely due to the streamlined sports programme for Glasgow, which features only ten sports and six integrated para sports.

The absence of traditional medal-winning disciplines such as wrestling, badminton, table tennis, hockey, cricket and squash means India enters the Games with a different medal strategy, focusing on athletics, boxing, weightlifting, judo, swimming and para sports.

Glasgow 2026 marks a new era for the Commonwealth Games after the hosting crisis that followed Victoria's withdrawal in 2023. Instead of the traditional large-scale Games, Glasgow has adopted a compact model using existing venues and reduced athlete quotas. Around 3,000 athletes from 74 Commonwealth nations will compete for 215 gold medals, making this one of the smallest editions in recent history.

For India, this has translated into a leaner but highly competitive squad built around athletes with proven international credentials.

Athletics Leads India's Representation

Athletics once again forms the backbone of the Indian contingent, with 32 athletes—22 men and 10 women—making it the country's largest squad in Glasgow.

Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra headlines the team and will be India's biggest medal hope in the men's javelin throw. He will be joined by fellow javelin throwers Rohit Yadav and Yash Vir Singh, giving India exceptional depth in the event.

The squad also features Commonwealth medal hopefuls such as Murali Sreeshankar in long jump, Tajinderpal Singh Toor in shot put, Tejaswin Shankar in high jump and decathlon, Parul Chaudhary in the women's 3000m steeplechase and 5000m, and national record holders Gurindervir Singh and Animesh Kujur in the sprints.

India will also compete in the mixed 4x400m relay, an event that has consistently delivered strong performances on the international stage.

Boxing remains one of India's strongest medal-winning disciplines despite the reduced Games programme. The 14-member squad includes Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain, who will compete in the women's 75kg category. She will be joined by experienced campaigners such as Preeti Pawar, Jasmine Lamboria and Parveen Hooda, while Sachin Siwach, Sumit Kundu and Narender Berwal lead the men's challenge.

Weightlifting also features a formidable Indian lineup led by Olympic silver medallist Mirabai Chanu, who returns as one of India's biggest gold medal contenders.

Joining her are Commonwealth champions and international medallists Bindyarani Devi, Harjinder Kaur, Gyaneshwari Yadav and Lovepreet Singh, making weightlifting one of India's strongest medal prospects in Glasgow.

India has selected a balanced 14-member judo squad, equally split between men and women. Tulika Maan, Harsh Tokas, Avtar Singh and Ishroop Narang are among the leading names expected to challenge for medals.

In swimming, the experienced trio of Srihari Nataraj, Sajan Prakash and Aryan Nehra headline India's five-member squad. They will be joined by Aneesh Gowda and Dhakshan Shashikumar, with India also contesting the men's 4x200m freestyle relay.

Track cycling will feature six Indian riders led by Ronaldo Singh Laitonjam, David Beckham Elkatohchoongo and Jemsh Singh Keithellakram as India looks to build on its growing presence in the discipline.

Para sports continue to occupy an increasingly important place within India's Commonwealth Games programme. The contingent includes athletes across para athletics, para powerlifting, para swimming and para track cycling. Former Paralympic and Commonwealth medallists Sudhir, Devender Kumar and Suyash Jadhav will spearhead India's para campaign, while Lisha Das will represent the country in para track cycling.

https://www.indiasportshub.com/articles/england-australia-headline-largest-teams-at-glasgow-cwg-2026-as-india-sends-126-athletes

India will also compete in women's 3x3 wheelchair basketball, highlighting the country's expanding participation in team para sports at major international events.

Although India's contingent is 90 athletes smaller than the one that travelled to Birmingham four years ago, expectations remain high. The absence of wrestling, badminton, hockey, table tennis and cricket removes several traditional medal opportunities, but India still possesses strong medal chances across athletics, boxing, weightlifting, judo and para sports. The performances of stars such as Neeraj Chopra, Mirabai Chanu and Lovlina Borgohain will be crucial in determining India's final medal tally.

At the same time, Glasgow offers an opportunity for several emerging athletes to make their mark on one of the biggest multi-sport stages in the Commonwealth.

India's 125-Member Commonwealth Games 2026 Contingent

3x3 Wheelchair Basketball (Women)

• Reena Rameshchandra Gupta

• Irengbam Ritu Chanu

• Jadhav Minakshi Harichandra

• Rayannavar Laxmi Rayappa

Artistic Gymnastics (8)

Men: Tapan Mohanty, Tapeshwarnath Das, Swatish KP, Satyajit Mondal

Women: Pranati Nayak, Nishka Agarwal, Eshita Rewale, Protistha Samanta

Athletics (32)

Men: Gurindervir Singh, Animesh Kujur, Vishal TK, Rajesh Ramesh, Gulveer Singh, Tejas Shirse, Yashas Palaksha, Santhosh Kumar Tamilarasan, Dev Meena, Kuldeep Kumar, Sarvesh Anil Kushare, Aadarsh Ram J, Tejaswin Shankar, Murali Sreeshankar, Lokesh Sathyanathan, Praveen Chithravel, Selva Prabhu, Samardeep Singh Gill, Tajinderpal Singh Toor, Neeraj Chopra, Rohit Yadav, Yash Vir Singh.

Women: Rashdeep Kaur, Neeru Pathak, Ansa Babu, Parul Chaudhary, Priyanka Goswami, Ravina Gaikwad, Pooja Singh, Manpreet Kaur, Seema Kaliramna, Nidhi Rani.

Para Athletics (11)

Rakeshbhai Bhatt, Shreyansh Trivedi, Mohammed Basil M, Dilip Mahadu Gavit, Ramesh Shanmugam, Devender Kumar, Sagar Thayat, Shubham Juyal, Soman Rana, Sharmila Dhankar, Shilpa K Shyla.

Lawn Bowls (6)

Putul Sonowal, Nayanmoni Saikia, Navneet Singh, Dinesh Kumar, Rupa Rani Tirkey, Pinki Singh.

Boxing (14)

Jadumani Singh, Sachin Siwach, Aditya Pratap Singh, Sumit Kundu, Ankush, Kapil Pokhariya, Narender Berwal, Sakshi Choudhary, Preeti Pawar, Jasmine Lamboria, Priya Ghanghas, Parveen Hooda, Arundhati Choudhary, Lovlina Borgohain.

Judo (14)

Harsh Singh, Rohit Basir Majgul, Arun Kumar, Harsh Tokas, Karanjit Singh Maan, Avtar Singh, Yash Ghanghas, Asmita Dey, Shraddha Kadabul Chopade, Yamini Mourya, Unnati Sharma, Inunganbi Takhellambam, Ishroop Narang, Tulika Maan.

Para Powerlifting (7)

Ashok Kumar Malik, Parmjeet Kumar, Sudhir, Jhandu Kumar, Suman Devi, Jaspreet Kaur, Kasthuri Rajamani.

Swimming (5)

Srihari Nataraj, Aryan Nehra, Sajan Prakash, Aneesh S Gowda, Dhakshan Shashikumar.

Para Swimming (5)

Ravi Veera Venkata Budigina, Ali Imam, Suyash Narayan Jadhav, Chaitanya Vishwas Kulkarni, Swatik Patil.

Track Cycling (6)

Ronaldo Singh Laitonjam, David Beckham Elkatohchoongo, Jemsh Singh Keithellakram, Dinesh Kumar, Rojit Singh Yanglem, Sekhon Harshveer Singh.

Para Track Cycling (1)

Lisha Das.

Weightlifting (12)

Men: Rishikanta Singh, M Raja, Ajaya Babu, Dilbag Singh, Lovepreet Singh.

Women: Mirabai Chanu, Gyaneshwari Yadav, Bindyarani Devi, Harjinder Kaur, Sanjana, Seram Nirupama Devi, Martina Devi.