Former world No.1 doubles shuttler Chirag Shetty termed the exclusion of badminton from the 2026 Commonwealth Video games curriculum a flawed choice, and questioned how the organisers might dispose of the most well-liked sport within the occasion. The 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Video games on Tuesday unveiled a closely scaled-down roster, excluding hockey, capturing, cricket, badminton and wrestling from the curriculum, a transfer which is able to severely harm India’s medal prospects on the quadrennial occasion.
“I feel it is a very dangerous choice, to be trustworthy. I can say for badminton, I feel it is probably the most watched sport. It is positively some of the watched sports activities within the Commonwealth Video games,” mentioned Chirag, who together with associate Satwiksairaj Rankireddy is the 2022 Birmingham CWG males’s doubles champions, apart from being the blended workforce gold medallist at Gold Coast in 2018.
He mentioned the recognition of the game in CWG might be gauged from the truth that nearly all badminton competitions are performed in entrance of a packed home.
“I have been a part of two editions on the Gold Coast and on the Birmingham editions. It’s totally troublesome to get a seat for any of the rounds. I feel it is positively a really dangerous choice for the badminton neighborhood basically.
“I hope they (CWG organisers) will look into it and doubtless change it. As part of the badminton neighborhood, we’re dissatisfied. We had been positively wanting ahead to defend our title.” The World Championship bronze medallist added that the nationwide sports activities federations and the federal government ought to take up the problem with the top-most authority within the CWG.
“So far as boycotting the occasion goes, I feel it is within the hand of the federal government and associations to resolve. I feel it has to go on the highest place. I feel the upper our bodies should be decisive and take it as much as the upper authorities.
“Not only for badminton, even hockey, wrestling, I feel all of the sports activities which India does properly at are being eliminated. I feel it is positively vital that we battle for it.”
(Apart from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is printed from a syndicated feed.)
Subjects talked about on this article
