Axe from Glasgow 2026 won't impact future inclusion of hockey in CWG, says FIH

Mumbai, Oct 22 (IANS) The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has expressed disappointment at hockey's exclusion from the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow but said it has been made clear that this decision is exceptional and only related to this edition of the Games.

The Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Government have stepped in after the Victoria State of Australia withdrew as host for the 2026 Games because of escalating costs.

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, dropping prominent ones like hockey, badminton, wrestling, and squash among others.

In this regard, the FIH said the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has confirmed that hockey remains an important sport for it.

"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.

"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 FIH said in a statement on Tuesday.

It however said the CGF has been clear that this decision would not impact hockey's inclusion in future editions of the Commonwealth Games.

"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.

Though the decision is disappointing, it definitely eases up the calendar as the Commonwealth Games are held in the same year as the FIH World Cup and the Asian Games, thus forcing the players to participate in three high-intensity events in a short duration.

But 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.

It would help avoid situations like the one faced by the Indian women's team in 2022 when it played the World Cup and CWG in a gap of 15 days.

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