How 2030 Commonwealth Games Host India Edged Past 2026 Host Scotland in the Medal Table
[By Ajay Motiwala, Mumbai Samachar]
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Mumbai: India may have finished well behind the top three nations—Australia, England and Canada—at the 2026 Commonwealth Games involving 74 countries, which concluded on Sunday in Glasgow. However, India’s real battle was against the host nation, Scotland, and it emerged victorious in that contest.
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Scotland had occupied fourth place for several days, but India’s late surge changed the picture dramatically. After the Indian women’s boxers delivered five gold medals, male boxers Sachin Siwach and Ankush Panghal added two more gold medals in the closing stages of the Games, taking India’s gold tally to 13 and drawing level with Scotland.
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The battle for fourth place then came down to the finer details. Both India and Scotland finished with 13 gold medals each, while their overall medal tally was also identical at 39 medals apiece. The difference came in the silver medals. India won 17 silver medals compared to Scotland’s nine, while Scotland had 17 bronze medals against India’s nine. Since the gold tally was equal, the higher number of silver medals pushed India into fourth place, with host Scotland slipping to fifth.
The medal table is determined primarily by the number of gold medals won by each country. Australia topped the standings with 70 gold medals and a total of 171 medals. England finished second with 29 gold medals and 110 medals overall, while Canada secured third place with 19 gold medals and 63 medals.
Why Did India Win Fewer Medals This Time?
At the 2022 Commonwealth Games, India claimed 60 medals, including 21 golds, largely because medal-rich sports such as badminton, table tennis, wrestling, cricket and hockey were part of the programme. This time, however, the Games featured only 10 sports instead of 20, resulting in India finishing with 13 gold medals and a total of 39 medals.
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The scenario is expected to improve at the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad, where more sports are likely to be included, giving India a greater opportunity to win a significantly higher number of medals.
Indian Women Delivered Eight of the 13 Gold Medals
ㅤIndian women athletes accounted for eight of the country’s 13 gold medals at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. The gold medallists included Mirabai Chanu (Weightlifting), Sharmila Dhankhar (Para Athletics), Asmita Dey (Judo), and boxers Preeti Panwar, Jasmine Lamboria, Priya Ghanghas, Sakshi Chaudhary and Arundhati Chaudhary.