Although an explicit explanation for why it was provided to remove cricket, as well as other sports such as field hockey, badminton, shooting and wrestling, among others, is denied, the chief executive of the Commonwealth Games Federation Katie Sadleir said in a comment: “The 2026 Games will be a bridge to the Commonwealth Games of tomorrow – an exciting first step in our journey to re-establish and redefine the Games as a truly collaborative, flexible and sustainable model for the future that minimizes costs, reduces environmental footprint and improves social impact – in doing so, increasing the number of countries capable of hosting.”
It might seem that budgets are probably one of the causes of the CWG’s trimmed model in 2026, and perhaps in future editions. Another contributing factor could be the fact that Glasgow is the only web host, as Victoria made a late exit as host, stepping in as host with only the existing venues and accommodation rather than building the rest intact, requiring a list discounted sports activities.*
The Asian Games have also brought cricket back, with the Hangzhou 2022 edition (held in 2023 after the Covid-19 pandemic). Bharat won gold in the men’s and women’s T20 Tests, with Afghanistan and Bangladesh winning silver and bronze respectively in the men’s category, and Sri Lanka and Bangladesh finishing second and third in the women’s category.
The Olympics had added T20 cricket, for women and men, as one of five fields intact for Los Angeles 2028. The overall decision was made at an International Olympic Committee meeting in Mumbai in October last year.
“Some of you may wonder why [cricket] in Los Angeles,” Niccolo Campriani, director of the local organizing committee of LA2028, had previously stated. “Well, the commitment to growing cricket in the US is real, and it is already happening with the launch of the first season of Major League Cricket. earlier this year, which exceeded all expectations. and the [men’s] “The T20 World Cup in 2024 is coming to the US and the West Indies.”
*10.30am GMT, October 22: This story has been updated with possible reasons for the shortened list of sports at CWG 2026.
