The 21st edition of the Commonwealth Games kicks off today (July 28, 2022) with the opening ceremony in the host city of Birmingham, UK. This is the third time that England is hosting the Games, after London 1934 and Manchester 2002.
This edition will feature 72 teams from 54 nations and 18 territories, competing across 19 different disciplines. There are more than 1,800 medals on offer and three new sports on the roster: women’s T20 cricket, 3X3 basketball, and 3X3 wheelchair basketball.
India's aim is to improve on the achievement of 26 gold medals won last time. This will also see the Commonwealth Games debut of women's cricket
PV Sindhu will wave India's flag at the opening ceremony. Sindhu got her chance when Olympian Neeraj Chopra withdrew from the competition due to injury. This is the second time that the Indian flag is flying in the Sindh Commonwealth.
Apart from athletics, wrestling, boxing, weightlifting, and table tennis are also the events that India is waiting to strengthen. Although Neeraj Chopra's absence is a setback, India is hoping for at least ten medals from track and field.