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VIDEO EXPLAINER | 3 NOVEMBER 2026
The 23rd Commonwealth Games were held in Glasgow, Scotland, from 23 July to 2 August. India finished 4th in the medal table with 39 medals, including 13 gold, and won 7 gold medals in boxing. Australia topped the table. At the closing ceremony the hosting baton passed to Ahmedabad, which will host the centenary Games in 2030. This explainer covers the Glasgow numbers, India’s tally, the tie-break that placed India above Scotland, and the history of the Games that CLAT General Knowledge questions draw on.
Why Glasgow hosted these Games
Glasgow took on the Games after the Australian state of Victoria withdrew in July 2023. Only 10 sports were held in Glasgow, the fewest since 1994, and they carried 215 medal events in total. Shooting, badminton, wrestling, hockey and table tennis were not on the programme this time.
The medal table
Australia led with 171 medals and 70 gold. England was second with 110 medals, and Canada third with 62 medals. India and the host Scotland both finished with 39 medals and 13 gold. India won 17 silver and 9 bronze (13 + 17 + 9 = 39), and because India’s silver count was higher, India ranked 4th and Scotland 5th. Medal tables rank first by gold, and a tie on gold is then decided by silver.
India’s standouts
Boxing was India’s best sport, with 7 gold medals in boxing, and no other country won as many boxing golds at the Games. Gulveer Singh won silver in the men’s 10,000 metres, the first medal by an Indian man in that event. Tejaswin Shankar won bronze in the decathlon, India’s first medal in that event.
Because five sports where India has traditionally won medals were missing, comparing the 39 medals with the total at Birmingham 2022 is not a fair comparison.
Background: the Games and India’s record
The Commonwealth Games are a multi-sport event held every four years, also called the Friendly Games. They began in 1930 in Hamilton, Canada, as the British Empire Games. India first took part at the 1934 London Games. India hosted the Games in Delhi in 2010, where it won its best total of 101 medals. Ahmedabad 2030 will be India’s second hosting, and it is the centenary edition of the Games.
Constitutional / Legal / Institutional framework
The Commonwealth Games are not a constitutional or statutory subject; they sit in the General Knowledge section. The institutional facts to remember are: the Games are a quadrennial multi-sport event, the 2026 edition was the 23rd, the host city was Glasgow, and the next centenary Games in 2030 go to Ahmedabad, India.
CLAT angle
- GK: host city, edition number (23rd) and dates (23 July to 2 August) are standard one-line questions.
- GK: medal table positions and the tie-break rule (gold first, then silver) can be tested directly.
- GK: India’s firsts, Gulveer Singh (10,000 m silver) and Tejaswin Shankar (decathlon bronze).
- Passage-based: a paragraph on why medal tallies across editions are not comparable when the sports programme changes.
- GK: Delhi 2010 (101 medals) and Ahmedabad 2030 (centenary Games).
Key facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Edition | 23rd Commonwealth Games |
| Host city | Glasgow, Scotland |
| Dates | 23 July to 2 August |
| Sports / medal events | 10 sports, 215 medal events |
| Top of table | Australia: 171 medals, 70 gold |
| India | 4th: 39 medals (13 gold, 17 silver, 9 bronze) |
| India boxing | 7 gold medals |
| Next centenary host | Ahmedabad, 2030 |
| India’s best total | 101 medals, Delhi 2010 |
| Games began | 1930, Hamilton, Canada |
Mnemonic / memory hook
“13-17-9 = 39, silver breaks the tie.” India and Scotland both had 13 gold, but India’s 17 silver put India 4th.
Sources
Facts are taken from the video’s verified script on the 23rd Commonwealth Games at Glasgow and official Games results reported for the medal table and India’s tally.
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These notes (as a PDF lesson) and the 10-question CBT are in the app under Current Affairs → 4 Nov 2026. Get the app on Google Play or open app.clatgurukul.com.
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