- The 2026 Commonwealth Games concluded in Glasgow, handing over to India for 2030.
- India will host the Commonwealth Games for the second time, in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
- Congress MP Deepender Hooda protested hosting in Gujarat over Haryana's medal tally.
The 2026 Commonwealth Games concluded on Sunday in Glasgow, with the host city formally handing over the Games flag and baton to India ahead of the centenary edition in Ahmedabad in 2030.
The CWG flag and baton were officially handed to Indian representatives - Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra, IOA President P T Usha and Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi.
India will become only the second country after Australia to host the Commonwealth Games twice, having previously hosted the 2010 edition in Delhi.
But back home, the choice of Gujarat as host has triggered a political controversy.
Congress MP from Haryana Deepender Hooda has questioned the decision, asking why the Games are being hosted in the western state when Haryana wins the most medals.
Read | India's Final Medal Tally At Commonwealth Games 2026 After Historic Campaign
"Haryana gets medals, Gujarat gets the Games," Hooda, who led a protest along with other Congress MPs from the state outside Parliament on Monday, posted.
Hooda demanded that Haryana be made "the host or co-host state for the Commonwealth Games 2030".
India ended their Commonwealth 2026 campaign with 39 medals, including 13 golds.
Haryana athletes accounted for seven of India's 13 golds, two silvers and one bronze medal.
Hooda also posted a state-wise medal tally from the 2026 Games, comparing Haryana's 11 to Gujarat's 0, to bolster his point.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said the stellar show underlined Haryana's position as "one of the country's strongest sporting centres".
Read | From Breakfast To Dinner: What CWG 2026 Silver Medallist Neeraj Chopra Eats In A Day
Hooda's post drew a sharp response from Olympian and three-time Commonwealth Games medal-winning wrestler Babita Phogat, who asked the Congress MP why he didn't object when the 2010 Games were held in Delhi.
"Why didn't you raise your voice, Deepender ji, back in 2010 when the Commonwealth Games were held in Delhi? For 10 years, while you were the president of the Haryana Wrestling Association, didn't it occur to you to host it in Haryana? You couldn't even manage to hold a single national-level games in Haryana!" Phogat, who is now a BJP leader, posted on X.
She further added that Games are hosted by a country, not a state. "When an international sports event is held in any state, it's the country that's hosting it," she said.
2010 में जब कॉमनवेल्थ गेम्स दिल्ली में हुआ था तब ये आवाज क्यों नहीं उठाई दीपेंद्र जी आपने? 10 साल तक जब आप हरियाणा कुश्ती संघ के अध्यक्ष रहे तब हरियाणा की मेजबानी की याद नहीं आई आपको? एक नेशनल स्तर का गेम्स तो हरियाणा में कराया नहीं गया आपसे! जब कोई अंतराष्ट्रीय स्तर का खेल आयोजन… https://t.co/oMz6IlkVeN
— Babita Phogat (@BabitaPhogat) August 3, 2026
Phogat also took a swipe at Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi for not posting about Indian athletes' performance at the just-concluded Glasgow Games.
"In the 2026 Commonwealth Games, India secured fourth place in the world because of its athletes, but you didn't even get your boss to tweet about that, and now you're putting on a farce outside Parliament about Haryana," she said.
