Kuala lumpur: The smaller size Malaysian contingent to the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games has not hindered hopes of bringing home success as the preparations of the country's athletes are now going well ahead of the quadrennial sports event.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Malaysian Contingent chef de mission (CDM) to the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games Datuk Awalan Abdul Aziz said a total of 59 national athletes, including 22 para-athletes, will bring Malaysia's challenge in eight of the 10 sports contested in this edition. He noted that Malaysia will not be participating in boxing and netball.
"Today I had the opportunity to visit training camps in three places, namely swimming, gymnastics, and finally para athletics. Alhamdulillah, the training programme in preparation for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow is going well and smoothly. Our athletes are also in good health and have good spirits. God willing, they will go there with fighting spirit and high spirits to bring success to the country," Awalan said after his visit to the sports training venue at the National Sports Council, Bukit Jalil.
Awalan explained that Glasgow 2026 is unique due to the reduction in the number of sports to 10 compared to the usual 17 to 18 sports in previous editions. He mentioned that some events within the contested sports have also been scaled down, resulting in fewer medal opportunities compared to past editions. "In terms of targets, we will discuss later, but I expect them to do their best. We have identified sports that can bring medals to the country," he added.
Awalan also mentioned that the absence of a Sports Village is not a significant hurdle for the national contingent as athlete placement arrangements have been organized according to hotel clusters near the competition venues.
Earlier, Youth and Sports Minister Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari stated that the official announcement of the Glasgow 2026 medal target is expected to be made a few days before the Malaysian contingent's flag handover ceremony scheduled for July 16. Glasgow 2026 is scheduled to take place from July 23 to August 2, featuring 10 sports, including athletics, swimming, track cycling, lawn bowling, judo, and weightlifting, along with six integrated para sports.
For context, Malaysia won seven gold, eight silver, and eight bronze medals in the 2022 edition in Birmingham, England. However, a tougher challenge awaits in Glasgow 2026 as four of the gold medals came from sports that are no longer included this time.