The Commonwealth Games 2026, slated to be held in Glasgow following the withdrawal of Victoria as the host, excluded major sporting events including Hockey and Badminton in their programme.
However, the FIH, the International Hockey Federation assured that the decision to not include Hockey at the quadrennial event was an exceptional one and they remain confident of the relationship between the Commonwealth Games Federation and the sport in the long run.
“Whilst the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) had to confirm a new host for the 2026 Games in a short timeframe after the withdrawal from the Victorian Government and whilst we’ve taken note that the new concept for 2026 has been downsized, with a core offering of only 10 sports, we’re all the more disappointed by the CGF’s decision not to have hockey on the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games programme,” the FIH said in a statement.
“That our sport has been played at every Commonwealth Games since 1998, something we are very proud of. With a reduction from 19 to 10 sports compared to the last edition of the Games, hockey is therefore in the same situation as eight other sports,” the statement continued.
“However, the CGF has been very clear in their various exchanges with FIH that this decision is exceptional, and related to the challenging nature of this specific edition of the Commonwealth Games.
“CGF has asserted that this decision will not impact the inclusion of hockey into future editions of the Commonwealth Games and that FIH remains a key partner and friend in both the history and future of the Commonwealth movement,” a FIH spokesperson said in a statement.
“As CGF has confirmed that hockey remains an important sport for the Federation, its members, and the Commonwealth movement, we welcome their invitation to discuss further opportunities for hockey with the Commonwealth movement in the future,” the statement said.
Glasgow, which had hosted the Commonwealth Games successfully in 2014, was on Tuesday confirmed to host a scaled-down Games in 2026 with only 10 major sports on the programme.
The silver lining with hockey missing out on the Commonwealth Games 2026 list might be the extra time for rest and recovery the player could receive with two other major events slated for the same year including the FIH World Cup and the Asian Games.
With the CWG out of the picture in 2026, it would lessen the pressure on the teams from India, Malaysia and Pakistan that can now concentrate on the World Cup and Asian Games, the latter very crucial as it is the qualifying event for the next Olympic Games.
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