KUALA LUMPUR — The exclusion of badminton from the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games is a major setback to elite shuttlers from Commonwealth nations.
Badminton’s guarding, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) expressed deep disappointment, citing badminton’s global status in high-level competition.
Nevertheless, they accepted the decision, acknowledging that Glasgow opted to include only 10 sports and six para-sports to ensure the Games’ sustainability amid rising costs.
The 10 sports for Glasgow 2026 are athletics, swimming, artistic gymnastics, track cycling, netball, weightlifting, boxing, judo, bowls, and 3×3 basketball.
The six para-sports include para-athletics, para-swimming, para-track cycling, para-powerlifting, and 3×3 wheelchair basketball.
“This is disappointing news for the sport of badminton and the elite badminton athletes from Commonwealth nations who aspire to represent their countries at one of the biggest multi-sports Games on the calendar.
“However, we respect the decision of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) and the host city of Glasgow given the unique circumstances they have found themselves in surrounding these Games,” said BWF in a statement released today.
Badminton was first introduced to the Commonwealth Games in 1966, in Kingston, Jamaica, and has since become a regular feature of the event.
Over 14 editions, the badminton competition has seen significant changes. Initially, only five gold medals were awarded.
In the 1978 edition in Edmonton, Canada, a sixth gold medal was added for the mixed team event.
By the 1998 edition in Kuala Lumpur, the team events were split into separate men’s and women’s categories, before being reunited as a single event in the following edition in Manchester.
Despite badminton’s absence for the first time in 60 years, the BWF has received assurances from the CGF that the sport will continue to be part of the Commonwealth Games and may very well be reinstated in the next edition in 2030.
“We have assurances from the CGF that badminton very much remains part of the Commonwealth Games family, and we look forward to working closely with them to ensure badminton returns to the sports programme in the future,” added BWF. — October 23, 2024