- ‘Our sporting journey is only just beginning’ as India storms to fourth place with 13 golds
- Boxers script history while women athletes deliver a majority of India’s gold medals
- Para-athletes produce India’s finest-ever Commonwealth Games performance
- Reliance Foundation stars Lovlina, Sreeshankar and Tejaswin Shankar add lustre to Team India’s campaign
NE SPORTS BUREAU
MUMBAI, AUG 3
Glasgow may have lowered its Commonwealth Games curtain, but India’s sporting sky is blazing brighter than ever. With 39 medals—including 13 golds—and a fourth-place finish, Team India has returned from the 2026 Games not merely with a medal haul, but with a powerful message: the country’s sporting ambition is widening, its champions are multiplying and the road to the historic Centenary Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad in 2030 has already begun.
Nita M. Ambani, Founder-Chairperson, Reliance Foundation, congratulated the Indian contingent, describing its Glasgow campaign as a defining demonstration of dedication, resilience, sacrifice and the indomitable spirit of the nation.
‘39 medals’ and a sporting statement
India completed its Glasgow campaign with 39 medals—13 gold, 17 silver and nine bronze—to finish fourth in the overall standings. The haul was particularly significant given the compact 10-sport programme at Glasgow 2026.
Nita Ambani said: “Heartiest congratulations to Team India on an outstanding performance at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow, bringing home an incredible 39 medals.”
She underlined the human story behind every podium finish: “Behind every medal is a story of extraordinary dedication, resilience, sacrifice and the indomitable spirit that defines our nation.”
The campaign produced several standout landmarks. Indian boxers delivered the country’s best-ever Commonwealth Games boxing performance with 10 medals, including seven golds, while women athletes accounted for the majority of India’s gold-medal successes.
Boxing history, women’s power
India’s boxing contingent emerged as one of the defining forces of Glasgow, turning the ring into a theatre of gold and producing a record haul.
Nita Ambani specifically celebrated the achievement, saying: “Our boxers created history with a record-breaking medal haul, while our women athletes shone brilliantly, winning the majority of India’s gold medals and proving once again that when given the opportunity, they can conquer the biggest stages in the world.”
The performances reinforce a wider transformation in Indian sport, with women increasingly occupying the centre of the medal narrative rather than the margins.
The Glasgow programme also witnessed significant breakthroughs in judo, weightlifting, athletics and para-athletics, underlining the growing breadth of India’s medal-winning ecosystem.
Para-champions turn courage into glory
One of the most inspiring chapters came from India’s para-athletes, who delivered their finest-ever Commonwealth Games performance.
Ambani hailed their campaign as a lesson in courage and belief: “Our para-athletes delivered their finest-ever Commonwealth Games performance, inspiring every Indian with their courage, determination and unwavering belief that no dream is beyond reach.”
The result is more than a sporting statistic. It is a powerful reminder that sporting excellence becomes truly transformative when opportunity reaches athletes across abilities and backgrounds.
Reliance Foundation trio: From support to the podium
For Reliance Foundation, the Glasgow campaign carried an added sense of pride as its athletes Lovlina Borgohain, Murali Sreeshankar and Tejaswin Shankar made their mark for India. Reliance Foundation Sports had sent nine athletes to Glasgow, eight from athletics and Lovlina from boxing.
Ambani said: “I am especially delighted that our Reliance Foundation athletes — Lovlina Borgohain, Murali Sreeshankar and Tejaswin Shankar — made the nation proud with their remarkable performances.”
She reiterated the Foundation’s philosophy of building sporting careers from the grassroots upwards: “At Reliance Foundation, we believe in nurturing sporting talent from the grassroots to the global stage, empowering every athlete to realise their fullest potential.”
The three athletes represent different sporting disciplines but a common pathway—structured support, sustained preparation and the opportunity to compete at the highest level.
Glasgow’s medals, Ahmedabad’s dream
The Glasgow triumph now feeds directly into an even larger Indian sporting ambition: the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad, the Centenary edition of the Games.
Ambani said the Glasgow champions had already begun inspiring the next generation: “As India looks ahead to hosting the historic Centenary Commonwealth Games in Amdavad in 2030, these champions have ignited the dreams of a new generation.”
She added: “Their achievements remind us that India’s sporting journey is only just beginning, and our best is yet to come.”
Her message to India’s young athletes was equally direct: “May their success inspire every young Indian to dream fearlessly, work tirelessly and wear the tricolour with pride.”
Jai Hind!
The Glasgow scoreboard may now be frozen at 39, but the larger scoreboard—the one measuring aspiration, opportunity and the emergence of a sporting nation—is still moving.
And with Ahmedabad 2030 waiting on the horizon, India’s next medal story may already be taking shape in a school ground, an athletics track, a boxing ring or a training centre somewhere across the country.
