Singapore disappointed at exclusion of several sports from 2026 Commonwealth Games
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Singapore’s Hee Yong Kai Terry and Tan Jessica Wei Han won the badminton gold medal match during the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, in Aug 2022.
The Straits Times
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SINGAPORE – Terry Hee and Jessica Tan’s historic mixed doubles badminton gold medal could become a rare commodity, as Singapore athletes and national bodies reacted with dismay on Oct 23 at the axing of several sports from the 2026 Commonwealth Games programme.
Badminton is among the sports, including table tennis, shooting, squash, hockey, cricket and rugby sevens, that were culled for the pared-down Games in Glasgow, which will feature just 10 disciplines, compared to 19 at the 2022 edition in Birmingham.
The decision, announced on Oct 22, is part of the Scottish city’s 11th-hour offering to stage the Games from July 23 to Aug 2, 2026, after the withdrawal of Victoria, Australia as hosts in 2023.
Tan, 31, told The Straits Times: “Our gold medal in the mixed doubles is now even more valuable because it may be the last badminton gold medal awarded (at a Commonwealth Games).
“We have donated our jerseys from the final match to the National Museum of Singapore, so it is the only memento we have from that exhilarating victory.”
Hee, 29, added: “We are naturally disappointed that badminton has been dropped from the 2026 Commonwealth Games. It is a pity that badminton players will not get to compete alongside other Singaporean athletes.”
The married couple beat home favourites Marcus Ellis and Lauren Smith in the final in 2022 to win what was the Republic’s first Commonwealth badminton gold since Li Li’s women’s singles title in Manchester in 2002. It was also their first medal at a major Games as they went on to qualify for their maiden Olympics at Paris 2024.
The gold was one of three badminton medals won in Birmingham, with the mixed team and women’s singles player Yeo Jia Min contributing bronzes.
Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) chief executive Alan Ow said the decision had deprived the players a crucial platform to compete against some of the world’s best players.
He added: “The experience gained from such high-level competition is invaluable for their development and allows them to benchmark their abilities on an international stage.
“The SBA believes that badminton’s exclusion diminishes the Games... The SBA will continue to advocate for the inclusion of badminton in future Commonwealth Games and explore alternative avenues for our athletes to gain valuable competitive experience.”
Badminton has been in the Games programme since its debut in 1966 and has been contested in every edition up to 2022.
Similarly, Singapore Table Tennis Association president Poh Li San was “extremely disappointed” and hoped that this will be a “one-off” exclusion of the sport, which contributed three golds, two silvers and two bronzes to the Republic’s overall tally of 4-4-4 in 2022.
She said: “Table tennis has always been a staple as it is widely played in many Commonwealth nations. It is a great pity that many world-class players will not be able to compete with each other in Glasgow...
“We hope the organisers will reconsider the decision, so that CWG 2026 can be inclusive and memorable for many athletes who were looking forward to it.”
Singapore Hockey Federation chief Mathavan Devadas, who was a competition director for the sport at the Glasgow 2014 and Birmingham 2022 Games, called the exclusion of the sport “very disappointing” and hoped that it will be reinstated in future.
He floated the creation of a Commonwealth hockey championship in 2026 to show the “enthusiasm” for the sport among countries and territories and state the case for its re-introduction in 2030.
