India reveal CWG 2026 athletics squad; Neeraj Chopra selection comes with twist | More sports News
India’s athletics squad for the 2026 Commonwealth Games has been finalised, with the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) naming a 32-member contingent that blends established international stars with several emerging talents across track and field events.The squad, announced on Sunday, consists of 22 male athletes and 10 female athletes, filling the entire quota allocated to India for the Glasgow Games. Olympic and world champion Neeraj Chopra is among the biggest names included in the list, although his participation remains subject to fulfilling selection requirements ahead of the competition.India’s men’s team features considerable strength in the jumps and throws disciplines. Athletes such as M. Sreeshankar, Tejaswin Shankar, Tajinderpal Singh Toor, Praveen Chithravel and Rohit Yadav have all secured places in the squad, while Gurindervir Singh, Animesh Kujur and Gulveer Singh will lead the country’s challenge in sprint and distance events on the track.The women’s contingent will rely heavily on experienced performers including Parul Chaudhary in the endurance events. In the field competitions, Manpreet Kaur, Seema and Nidhi Rani have earned selection in the throwing disciplines, while Ravina and Priyanka will represent India in the 10,000m race walk.AFI has also announced a dedicated pool for the mixed 4x400m relay, comprising Vishal T.K., Rajesh Ramesh, Ansa Babu, Rashdeep Kaur and Neeru Pathak.World Athletics vice-president and former AFI president Adille Sumariwalla explained that the final selections strictly followed the federation’s established policy, including the consideration of athletes who competed abroad after obtaining prior approval from the federation.“We have selected the team today. As you are aware that we have a quota of 32 athletes. We have selected 22 men and 10 women to fill the quota. As we have mentioned earlier, our selection has been as per the policy of AAFI. We have also in the policy mentioned that athletes who have asked for special permission, who have participated abroad, taken prior permission, their performances have been taken into consideration,” Adille Sumariwalla said during a virtual media interaction on Sunday.One of the major discussion points following the announcement was the inclusion of Neeraj Chopra and triple jumper Selva Prabhu under conditional selection. Both athletes have requested that upcoming performances be taken into account before their participation is formally confirmed for Glasgow.According to Sumariwalla, the federation agreed to evaluate their results from scheduled competitions before making a final decision.“There are two people who we have selected and they have requested that their performances, one in the coming interstate meet be considered. That is Selva Prabhu who is also an NCAA athlete as well as Neeraj who has requested that he would be participating in a couple of competitions before the Commonwealth Games. If he achieves his qualifying standard, he has also requested to be selected. Neeraj would participate in a couple of international meets before the Commonwealth Games,” Sumariwalla added.India squad at CWG 2026:Men:Gurindervir Singh – 100m, Animesh Kujur – 200m, Gulveer Singh – 5000m, 10,000m, Tejas Ashok Shirse – 110m hurdles, Yashas P – 400m hurdles, Santhosh Kumar Tamilarasan – 400m hurdles, Sarvesh Anil Kushare – High jump, Adarsh Ram J – High jump, Dev Meena – Pole vault, Kuldeep Kumar – Pole vault, M. Sreeshankar – Long jump, Lokesh Sathyanathan – Long jump, Praveen Chithravel – Triple jump, Selva Prabhu* – Triple jump, Samardeep Singh Gill – Shot put, Tajinderpal Singh Toor – Shot put, Neeraj Chopra* – Javelin throw, Rohit Yadav – Javelin throw, Yash Vir Singh – Javelin throw, Tejaswin Shankar – Decathlon, High jumpWomenParul Chaudhary – 3000m steeplechase, 5000m, Pooja – High jump, Manpreet Kaur – Shot put, Seema – Discus throw, Nidhi Rani – Discus throw, Ravina – 10,000m race walk, Priyanka – 10,000m race walkMixed relay pool (4x400m mixed relay)- Vishal T.K., Rajesh Ramesh, Ansa Babu, Rashdeep Kaur, Neeru PathakNeeraj Chopra and Selva Prabhu’s selections remain provisional and will depend on their performances in competitions scheduled before the Commonwealth Games.
