On Monday, February 2, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) released the qualifying standards for the upcoming Commonwealth Games 2026. The AFI has set a high standard for the athletes to qualify in the track, field and combined events of the tournament. The Commonwealth Games return after four years in the 2026 edition, scheduled to be held in Glasgow, Scotland, starting from July 23 to August 2.
The track and field event has limited each participating country to a maximum of 32 athletes, with not more than 16 women participants. However, the Indian athletes have to improve their national records in 15 events, including the men’s and women’s categories. The men’s events include 100m, 400m, 1500m, 110m hurdles and hammer throw. Meanwhile, for women athletes, the round-up comes at 10 events including 800m, 5000m, 10000m, 100m hurdles, 400m hurdles, long jump, triple jump, pole vault, hammer throw and the marathon.
In the previous Commonwealth Games held in 2022 in Birmingham, India bagged 61 medals in total. Eight of them, including one gold, four silver and three bronze, came from athletics. However, India’s best performance of the tournament was in the 2010 edition held in New Delhi. That season, India, as the host nation, secured 101 medals in total, including 38 golds, 27 silvers and 36 bronzes.
The 29th National Senior Athletics Federation Competition, which will be played from May 22 to 25 in Ranchi, Jharkhand, will be the final trial process for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and a qualification gate for athletes for the U-23 Asian U23 Athletics Championships.
Indian women’s athletics qualifying standards
Starting with the qualifying standard for the less distance sprint events like the 100m, the women’s qualification mark is 11.17 seconds. It also varies in 200m (23.06s), 400m (51.36s), 800m (1:57.88s), 1500m (4:05.09s), 5000m (14:56.60s), 10,000m (31:14.14s). Meanwhile, the field events also have some standard cut-offs. In the 100m hurdles (only women), the qualifying mark is 12.67s. On the other hand, in the women’s javelin it’s 59.79 metres and for the 4x100m relay it’s 43.86s.
Jyothi Yarraji, the Asian Games silver medallist, will have to improve her 100m hurdles record of 12.78s to 12.67s, while in the women’s 400m hurdles, the Asian Games bronze medallist Vithya Ramraj, who currently holds a national record of 55.42s (levelling with PT Usha), has to reach the 54.67s mark.
