Women's T20 Cricket in, Shooting and Archery out at 2022 Commonwealth Games

India is likely to lose out on a lot of medals after Shooting was left out of the 2022 Commonwealth Games programme on Thursday. India won 16 medals, including seven gold, at the 2018 edition in Gold Coast. Archery will also miss out after appeals for these games to be included in the CWG 2022 were denied.  

On the other hand, Women's Twenty20 cricket moved a step closer on Thursday to featuring in the Commonwealth Games after being nominated by organisers for its potential inclusion in Birmingham.  Beach volleyball and Para-table tennis are on the programme also as these three news sports were approved by the executive board of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF).

The decision needs to be ratified by Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) members and follows a bidding process which included a joint presentation by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). The inclusion of these three sports will now need to be ratified by 51 percent of the CGF members next month.

"We are absolutely delighted that women’s cricket has been nominated for inclusion in Birmingham 2022," ICC chief executive Manu Sawhney said in a statement. "I’d like to thank everyone at the CGF and Birmingham 2022 for the nomination and it would be a real honour to become part of the Commonwealth Games family."

Cricket has not featured in the quadrennial Games since its maiden appearance in 1998 when the South African men's team won the gold medal in Kuala Lumpur. Cricket was last played at the Olympics in the 1900 Paris Games. 

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) president Raninder Singh had urged the Indian government to boycott the 2022 Commonwealth Games if shooting was dropped from the programme. 

(With Agency Inputs)