Malaysia set to ‘lose’ a few gold medals after badminton scrapped from list

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia could be struggling to win medals at the next Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2026 following the decision of the hosts to drop sports like badminton, squash, hockey and diving.

At the last Commonwealth Games, badminton contributed two out of the seven gold medals won by Malaysia.

It may come as a surprise to see badminton, a sport that regularly contributes gold medals to Malaysia, has being excluded from the Commonwealth Games for the first time.

But the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) have accepted Glasgow’s decision to drop key sports such as badminton, diving, hockey and squash in its bid to deliver a financially viable 2026 Commonwealth Games.

OCM secretary-general Datuk Mohd Nazifuddin Najib said the move was inevitable, given the time frame and the need to scale down the Commonwealth Games following Victoria’s withdrawal last year.

Malaysia and later Singapore also subsequently rejected the offer to host the Commonwealth Games before the Scottish city of Glasgow came to the rescue.

“The focus is to create a Games that could be delivered to the highest quality in a financially sustainable way,” said Nazifuddin.

“In moving forward, there was a need to prioritise what matters most to athletes and sports.

“We therefore accept the fact Glasgow 2026 will be lighter and leaner than previous Games, at the expense of sports we are strong in such as badminton, diving, hockey and squash,” he said.

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) yesterday officially confirmed Glasgow as the host city of the 2026 Commonwealth Games, scheduled to take place from July 23 to Aug 2, returning to the city 12 years after the hugely successful 2014 edition.

Glasgow will feature a 10-sport programme concentrated across four venues within an eight-mile corridor, with around 3,000 of the best athletes competing from up to 74 Commonwealth nations.

The 10 sports that will be contested are swimming, athletics, basketball 3×3, boxing, track cycling, gymnastics, judo, lawn bowls, netball and weightlifting.

There will also be integrated para events in six of those sports – swimming, athletics, basketball, track cycling, lawn bowls and weightlifting.

Nazifuddin added the 2026 edition was set to redefine the Games as a truly collaborative, flexible and sustainable model for the future that minimises costs, reduces the environmental footprint, and enhances social impact.

“In doing so, it will increase the scope of countries capable of hosting.

“The 2026 Games will be an opportunity to set out a new blueprint for the future of sustainable, accessible Commonwealth sport – and it should come as no surprise that the scaled down version has come at the expense of our strengths.“

OCM shall discuss the strategies needed to confront these issues with the relevant stakeholders, including the National Sports Council (NSC), the National Sports Institute (NSI) and the National Sports Associations (NSA).