AA Edit | Beyond Commonwealth Medal Count
India finished fourth behind Australia, England and Canada with 39 medals (13 gold, 17 silver and nine bronze). On paper, that appears to be a step backwards from the 61 medals won in Birmingham four years ago. But numbers, in this case, tell only part of the story
The 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow marked both an ending and a beginning. As the curtains came down on a scaled-down edition in Scotland, the baton was passed to Ahmedabad, which will host the Games in 2030. For India, Glasgow was less about where it finished on the medals table and more about what the campaign revealed: its growing strengths, its persistent weaknesses and the enormous responsibility that now comes with staging the next edition.
India finished fourth behind Australia, England and Canada with 39 medals (13 gold, 17 silver and nine bronze). On paper, that appears to be a step backwards from the 61 medals won in Birmingham four years ago. But numbers, in this case, tell only part of the story. The downsized Glasgow Games, shifted from Australia to Scotland, had a sharply reduced programme. With shooting, badminton, wrestling and hockey excluded, India’s 50-medal target was unrealistic, making its campaign more creditable. Of India’s 122 athletes, 38 won medals, with Gulveer Singh claiming two, giving the country a slightly better conversion rate than Birmingham. Boxing led with 10 medals, including seven golds, followed by athletics with 16 and weightlifting with eight.
Neeraj Chopra’s silver in javelin was below the lofty standards he has set for himself as Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage produced a memorable performance to win gold. Yet the sight of debutant Yash Vir Singh sharing the podium with India's Olympic champion underlined the lasting impact Neeraj has had on a new generation of javelin throwers. Tejaswin Shankar battled injury to win India’s first-ever CWG medal in the decathlon. The six medals won in para athletics provided another encouraging reminder that India's talent pool continues to deepen across disciplines.
The 2010 Delhi Games remain India’s finest Commonwealth performance, with 101 medals, including 38 gold, and a second-place finish. Yet they are equally remembered for corruption allegations, delays, inflated contracts and administrative chaos that embarrassed the country. Ahmedabad must learn from Delhi’s failures and deliver efficient, transparent and corruption-free Games, with timely infrastructure, clean competition and a lasting sporting legacy.