---
title: "Reevaluating the Commonwealth Games: Necessity or Redundant Sporting Relic?"
url: https://projectchintan.com/article/commonwealth-games-survival-hosting-challenges-india-sports-thj6a
publisher: Project Chintan
author: Project Chintan Newsroom
section: Sports
published: 2026-08-06T19:36:24.000Z
modified: 2026-08-06T22:01:14.753Z
language: en-IN
---

# Reevaluating the Commonwealth Games: Necessity or Redundant Sporting Relic?

Elite athletes Anju Bobby George and Dr. Heena Sidhu analyze the declining feasibility of the Commonwealth Games amid rising host costs and reduced sporting rosters. As major disciplines face exclusion, the future of the event hinges on radical structural reforms and collaborative hosting models.

## Key takeaways

- The Commonwealth Games serves as a critical preparatory stage for Indian athletes heading to the Olympics and World Championships.
- Rising hosting costs and national debt risks are forcing cities to scale back or withdraw from organizing the event.
- Decentralized hosting and sport-specific venues are proposed solutions to prevent the total elimination of core disciplines like shooting.

## Why It Matters

The Commonwealth Games (CWG) currently faces an existential crisis. Originally a massive multidisciplinary festival, the recent Glasgow edition operated as a scaled-back version after Victoria withdrew as the initial host. For India, the stakes are high; despite the removal of several high-yield sports, the nation secured a fourth-place finish on the medal table. The debate now centers on whether the Games still serve a purpose in the modern sporting calendar or if the economic burden on host nations has made the format obsolete.

## Background

For Indian athletics, the CWG represents a top-tier proving ground. Long-jumper Anju Bobby George notes that while the Olympics and World Championships involve over 210 nations, the CWG features approximately 80, making it the third most significant competition for track and field. Conversely, for shooters like Heena Sidhu, the event serves as a vital psychological laboratory. Sidhu ranks the difficulty of CWG shooting at a 4 out of 10 compared to the World Championships, yet emphasizes its value in teaching athletes to manage media pressure and village life before the more rigorous Asian Games and Olympics.

## Key Facts

- The Glasgow Games featured a reduced program with fewer participants and events compared to traditional editions.
- India secured 10 athletics medals in recent cycles, a significant rise from the two medals won in 2002.
- Shooting is slated to return to the CWG in 2030 after a 12-year hiatus, having last appeared in 2018.
- Strict athlete quotas now limit participation; for instance, athletics was restricted to just 32 representatives per nation.
- Host nations face extreme financial risks, with past Olympics in Greece and Brazil cited as examples of events causing long-term national debt.

## What Happens Next

The survival of the Commonwealth Games likely requires a departure from the single-city hosting model. Experts suggest that the Games could adopt a decentralized structure similar to the FIFA World Cup, where multiple countries or cities share the burden. Heena Sidhu proposes that if a primary host cannot accommodate specific disciplines like shooting or wrestling, those events should be outsourced to countries with the existing infrastructure and fan demand, such as India. However, Anju Bobby George warns that such decentralization might erode the 'mini world' atmosphere of the athletes' village, which remains a cornerstone of the multi-sport experience.

Source: The Hindu — Sport

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Canonical: https://projectchintan.com/article/commonwealth-games-survival-hosting-challenges-india-sports-thj6a
Reported from: The Hindu — Sport