UK & Australia Afraid of Us, CWG Targeting Only Events in Which India is Doing Great: Manu Bhaker
Indian shooter and Arjuan Award winner Manu Bhaker on Thursday questioned the Commonwealth Games Federation’s (CGF) decision to not name shooting in the list of 16 sports when announcing that Victoria will host the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
She took to social media to post a screengrab of News18.com’s report, asking Indian Olympic Association head Narinder Batra and Indian Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Anurag Thakur, to act before “before it’s too late”.
“UK & Australia athletes in these events are back seater and afraid of us. IOA, Narinder Batra & Sports Minister Anurag Thakur should take a call before it’s too late. 2022 only shooting omitted & in 2026. They are targeting event where India is doing great,” Manu Bhaker wrote on Twitter.
Even though further sports can be added the initial list of 16 sports for the 2026 CWG later this year, it currently does not feature shooting and wrestling, events in which India has done well in the previous editions. Archery also not in the list.
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Indian wrestlers have won 12 medals, including five golds, as the country’s shooters have clinched 16 medals, including seven golds. As for archery, which has featured in only two editions of CWG with the last being in 2010, India had won eight medals in New Delhi, including three golds.
National Rifle Association of India’s secretary-general, Kunwar Sultan Singh called the CGF’s decision as being without any “logic or reasoning”.
“It’s disheartening, shocking and utterly illogical to exclude shooting from the CWG for the second successive edition. It’s unfair on shooters preparing worldwide for such a major multi-sport event. I would request the Indian government and the IOA to take up the matter with the concerned authorities in the CGF to get the sport included in the Games programme for Victoria 2026,” Singh told TOI.
“A concerted effort is needed on the part of the government and IOA to get this decision reversed. United World Wrestling must do something to ensure that wrestling gets its deserved spot back in the CWG.” TOI quoted a Wrestling Federation of India official.
The process of a sport making it to the CWG was decided Commonwealth Games Federation’s ‘strategic roadmap’ last year for the period between 2026 till 2030, whereas the host nation can choose from a core group of sports, which include shooting and wrestling, to make meets ‘spectator-friendly’.
Men’s and women’s T20 cricket and beach volleyball are part of the list for the Games in Victoria as the sports are ‘relevant to their nation or culture’.
Historically, wrestling has not been a prime focus for many countries in the Commonwealth, with it being a stronghold in countries like Iran, China, Japan, USA and Russia. India and Pakistan have rulled the mat against sub-par opponents in the past, as most of the other countries participating in the CWG not being known for ‘wrestling culture’. In fact, the sport was not part of the 2006 Melbourne Games as well.
As for shooting, Australia have had better success, with them winning 16 gold of the total 28 medals at Gold Coast. Infrastructure at the host venues mught be a stumbling block.
“There will be a phased approach in creating the sports programme for Victoria 2026. An initial 16 sports have been put forward for the Games, with further sports to be added later this year,” the Commonwealth Games Federation had said in a statement.
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