top of page

By:

Yogesh Kumar Goyal

19 April 2026 at 12:32:19 pm

India's New Sporting Ascent

The Commonwealth Games showed that India's sporting rise now extends far beyond its traditional medal-winning disciplines. The Commonwealth Games are more than a competition for medals; they reflect a country’s sporting culture, talent development, sports science, training ecosystem and long-term sports policy. Held in Glasgow, Scotland, from 23 July to 2 August, the Games concluded for India with notable achievements and encouraging prospects. The Indian contingent finished fourth with 39...

India's New Sporting Ascent

The Commonwealth Games showed that India's sporting rise now extends far beyond its traditional medal-winning disciplines. The Commonwealth Games are more than a competition for medals; they reflect a country’s sporting culture, talent development, sports science, training ecosystem and long-term sports policy. Held in Glasgow, Scotland, from 23 July to 2 August, the Games concluded for India with notable achievements and encouraging prospects. The Indian contingent finished fourth with 39 medals—13 gold, 17 silver and 9 bronze. This achievement is especially significant because sports in which India traditionally excels—shooting, wrestling, badminton, hockey and table tennis—were absent. These disciplines have historically contributed much of India’s medal haul. Retaining fourth place despite fewer opportunities demonstrates the resilience and depth of Indian sport. Australia topped the standings with 171 medals, including 70 gold, followed by England with 110 and Canada with 62. Hosts Scotland finished fifth with 39 medals. Although India and Scotland won the same number of medals, India secured fourth place by winning more gold medals. Comparison with previous editions provides useful context. At the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, India finished third with 66 medals (26 gold, 20 silver and 20 bronze). Shooting contributed 16 medals, supported by boxing, weightlifting and wrestling. At the 2022 Birmingham Games, India placed fourth with 61 medals (22 gold, 16 silver and 23 bronze), with all 12 Indian wrestlers winning medals alongside strong performances in weightlifting and table tennis. By comparison, India’s tally fell to 39 medals in Glasgow 2026. Although this appears a decline, many of India’s strongest medal-winning sports were not contested, making the medal count alone misleading. India made effective use of the opportunities available and excelled in the disciplines it contested. Indian boxers produced the finest Commonwealth Games campaign in the nation’s history, winning 10 medals—seven gold and three silver. Young athletes Jaismine Lamboria, Priya Ghanghas, Sakshi Choudhary and Preeti Pawar signalled a bright future. Although Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain narrowly missed gold, her experience strengthened the contingent. Sachin Siwach and Ankush also delivered important victories. The results showed that Indian boxing now possesses a broad talent pipeline rather than relying on a few individuals. Weightlifting also maintained India’s reputation. Indian lifters’ Glasgow performances confirmed the country’s growing stature. In judo, Indian athletes exceeded expectations by winning important medals, highlighting the sport’s rapid growth. However, the provisional suspension and withdrawal of judoka Tulika Maan after missing three anti-doping whereabouts filings was a setback. The incident underlined that success at the highest level requires strict compliance with anti-doping regulations alongside sporting excellence. India’s athletics campaign became a major talking point. Gulveer Singh made history by winning silver in the 10,000 metres and bronze in the 5,000 metres, becoming the first Indian to win two track-and-field medals at a single Commonwealth Games. India had never previously medalled in these events. His achievement reflects the progress of scientific training. In para-sports, India recorded its best-ever Commonwealth Games performance, winning seven medals—three gold, two silver and two bronze. Women won 16 medals, including eight gold, while men claimed the remaining 23. While the 2026 performance is commendable, it is not unprecedented. India’s benchmark remains the 2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games, when the nation finished second behind Australia with 101 medals, including 38 gold. Home advantage helped, but the performance also demonstrated that strong infrastructure, a wide talent base and systematic preparation can enable India to challenge the leading nations. The most significant shift in India’s sporting journey is that success is no longer confined to a handful of disciplines. Where medals once came mainly from shooting, wrestling, badminton and weightlifting, athletes are now emerging consistently in boxing, judo, athletics and para-sports. This reflects the impact of national sports policies, initiatives such as Khelo India, improved infrastructure, sports science, nutrition and financial support. However, further investment is needed in talent identification, grassroots coaching, sports medicine, mental conditioning and international exposure. Attention now turns to 2030, when Ahmedabad hosts the Commonwealth Games—an opportunity to showcase India’s sporting potential, modern infrastructure and organisational capabilities. The Glasgow Commonwealth Games have reinforced confidence that Indian athletes can succeed despite difficult circumstances. These achievements should be viewed as another step towards becoming a global sporting power. India must continue strengthening sports in which it already excels while expanding long-term investment in athletics, swimming, gymnastics and other core Olympic disciplines. With consistent sports policies, scientific training, world-class facilities and sustained support, India can increasingly establish itself among the leading nations at the Commonwealth Games, the Olympics and other global competitions. (The writer is a senior journalist and author of several books. Views personal.)

US Vice President JD Vance, his family arrive in Delhi

  • PTI
  • Apr 21, 2025
  • 2 min read


NEW DELHI: US Vice President J D Vance arrived here on Monday on a four-day visit to India against the backdrop of ongoing negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement between the two strategic partners to address a variety of issues, including tariff and market access.


Vance is accompanied by his Indian-origin wife Usha Chilukuri and their three children Ewan, Vivek, Mirabel and a delegation of senior US government officials.


The US Vice President and the Second Lady were received at the Palam air base by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.


The American leader was also accorded a ceremonial welcome on his arrival.

In the evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host a dinner for the Vances after holding wide-ranging talks with the US Vice President.


External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, NSA Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Indian ambassador to US Vinay Mohan Kwatra are expected to be part of the Indian team to be led by PM Modi at the talks.


The focus of the meeting is likely to be on early finalisation of the proposed bilateral trade pact as well as ways to boost overall trajectory of ties between the two countries.


Besides Delhi, Vance and his family will travel to Jaipur and Agra.

Vance's first visit to India comes weeks after US President Donald Trump imposed and then paused a sweeping tariff regime against around 60 countries, including India.


New Delhi and Washington are now holding negotiations to seal a bilateral trade agreement that is expected to address a variety of issues, including tariff and market access.


Vance and his family are scheduled to leave for Jaipur on Monday night.

In Delhi, the US Vice President and his family are staying at the ITC Maurya Sheraton hotel.


On April 22, the Vances will visit a number of historical sites in Jaipur, including the Amer Fort, also known as Amber Fort. The fort is a UNESCO world heritage site.


In the afternoon, the US Vice President is scheduled to address a gathering at the Rajasthan International Centre in Jaipur.


Vance is expected to delved into broader aspects of India-US relations under the Donald Trump administration during his speech that is expected to be attended by diplomats, foreign policy experts, Indian government officials and academia.


The US Vice President and his family will travel to Agra on the morning of April 23, people familiar with the matter said.


In Agra, they will visit the Taj Mahal and Shilpgram which is an open air emporium showcasing various Indian artefacts, they said.


After concluding their visit to Agra, the Vances will return to Jaipur on the second half of April 23.


The US Vice President and his family will depart for the US from Jaipur on April 24, according to the people cited above.

Comments

bottom of page