The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has announced the qualification standards for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, scheduled to be held in Glasgow, Scotland, from July 23 to August 2.
With the Commonwealth Games featuring a scaled-down athletics programme, each country will be restricted to a maximum of 32 track and field athletes, including no more than 16 women. In response, the AFI has laid down stringent entry criteria for Indian athletes aiming to secure selection.
According to the standards released by the federation, athletes in as many as 15 events will be required to better the existing national records, while competitors in two events- the women’s 100m and women’s high jump- will need to at least match the current national marks.
Among the men’s events, athletes will need to break national records in the 100m, 400m, 1500m, 110m hurdles and hammer throw. Asian Championships bronze medallist Animesh Kujur currently holds the men’s 100m national record at 10.18 seconds, which is 0.02 seconds slower than the qualifying mark set for CWG 2026. Similarly, national record holder Tejas Shirse will need to improve on his 13.41 seconds in the 110m hurdles to meet the entry standard.
In women’s events, the qualification marks demand national-record performances in the 800m, 5000m, 10,000m, 100m hurdles, 400m hurdles, long jump, triple jump, pole vault, hammer throw and marathon. Asian Games silver medallist Jyothi Yarraji, returning from an ACL injury, will need to lower her national record of 12.78 seconds in the 100m hurdles to 12.67 seconds to qualify.
In the women’s 400m hurdles, Asian Games bronze medallist Vithya Ramraj- who has equalled PT Usha’s national record of 55.42 seconds- will need to improve further, with the qualifying standard set at 54.67 seconds.
The men’s javelin throw is expected to see multiple qualifiers, with the entry standard fixed at 82.61 metres. Two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra, along with Sachin Yadav and Rohit Yadav, already possess personal bests well beyond the qualifying distance.
The AFI did not specify a qualifying standard for the men’s 4x400m relay, while the mixed 4x400m relay entry mark has been set at 3 minutes 16 seconds.
Also Read: Indian Athletics Calendar 2026: List Of Events
Indian athletics qualification standards for Commonwealth Games 2026
Individual Events
| Event | Men (NR) | Women (NR) |
| 100m | 10.16s (10.18s) | 11.17s (11.17s) |
| 200m | 20.61s (20.32s) | 23.06s (22.82s) |
| 400m | 44.96s (45.12s) | 51.36s (50.79s) |
| 800m | 1:45.00s (1:44.93s) | 1:57.88s (1:59.17s) |
| 1500m | 3:30.82s (3:35.24s) | 4:05.09s (4:04.78s) |
| 5000m | 13:19.64s (12:59.77s) | 14:56.60s (15:10.35s) |
| 10000m | 27:39.03s (27:00.22s) | 31:14.14s (31:50.47s) |
| 3000m steeplechase | 8:30.26s (8:09.91s) | 9:27.41s (9:12.46s) |
| 110m hurdles (only men) | 13.39s (13.41s) | – |
| 100m hurdles (only women) | – | 12.67s (12.78s) |
| 400m hurdles | 50.27s (48.80s) | 54.67s (55.42s) |
| High jump | 2.22m (2.29m) | 1.92m (1.92m) |
| Long jump | 8.05m (8.42m) | 6.84m (6.83m) |
| Triple jump | 16.89m (17.37m) | 14.25m (14.11m) |
| Pole vault | 5.25m (5.40m) | 4.45m (4.21m) |
| Shot put | 20.36m (21.49m) | 17.62m (18.41m) |
| Discuss throw | 64.56m (66.28m) | 56.85m (66.59m) |
| Hammer throw | 73.09m (72.86m) | 66.80m (65.25m) |
| Javelin throw | 82.61m (90.23m) | 59.79m (63.82m) |
| Race walk | 39:06.28s (38:49.21s) | 44:44.58s (43:38.83s) |
| Decathlon (only men) | 7787 points (7826 points) | – |
| Heptathlon (only women) | – | 6095 points (6211 points) |
| Marathon | 2:13:23.00s (2:12:00s) | 2:30:51.00s (2:34:43s) |
| 4x100m relay | 40.17s (38.69s) | 43.86s (43.37s) |
Mixed Events
| Event | Qualifying standard | National record |
| 4x400m mixed relay | 3:16.00s | 3:12.87 |
