The Haryana government on Wednesday honoured 24 sportspersons from the state who represented India at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, with chief minister Nayab Singh Saini presenting nearly ₹14 crore in cash awards at a state-level felicitation function in Panchkula.
Haryana’s athletes won 11 medals at the games—seven gold, two silver and two bronze —which is more than 28% of India’s total medal tally.
The gold medal winner was rewarded with ₹1.50 crore, while ₹75 lakh was given to silver medal winners, ₹50 lakh for winning bronze and ₹7.5 lakh to each athlete who participated in the Commonwealth Games. A total cash prize of ₹13,97,50,000 was distributed among the 24 medal winners and the participants.
The state, with barely 2% of the country’s population, had sent 24 of India’s 122-member contingent to the Glasgow Games. And nearly every second Haryana athlete returned with a medal. India finished fourth in the overall medal tally with 39 medals—13 gold, 17 silver and nine bronze.
“This is not merely a statistic, but a reflection of Haryana’s sporting talent, hard work and fighting spirit, which has once again raised the pride of the Tricolour on the world stage,” Saini said as he particularly appreciated the performance of Haryana’s women athletes.
{{/usCountry}}“This is not merely a statistic, but a reflection of Haryana’s sporting talent, hard work and fighting spirit, which has once again raised the pride of the Tricolour on the world stage,” Saini said as he particularly appreciated the performance of Haryana’s women athletes.
{{/usCountry}}Haryana’s women athletes won six of the state’s 11 medals, including five gold. The state also dominated India’s boxing campaign, with Haryana boxers winning six of the country’s seven gold medals. Sharmila Dhankar (para athlete), Preeti Pawar, Jaismine Lamboria, Sakshi Chaudhary, Priya Ghanghas, Sachin Siwach and Ankush Panghal won gold medals, while javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and boxer Narender Berwal won silver medals with Seema Kaliraman and Yashvir Singh adding bronze. Para-athlete Sharmila also struck gold.
Congratulating the athletes, Saini said the significance of their achievement went far beyond the medals they brought home. The CM said Haryana’s athletes demonstrated their strength and talent before the world in Glasgow and that every Haryanvi takes immense pride in their achievements, even as their success has become a celebration across the state.
“Those who returned with medals are Haryana’s achievements today, while those who returned with experience are the foundation of its next achievements. Today’s experience can become tomorrow’s medal,” he said, tracing the journey of the athletes that begins in the soil where they first learnt to run.
“Behind every athlete stands the faith of their parents, the discipline instilled by their coach and the determination to rise after every defeat. The world may see an athlete on the podium for a few moments, but what often remains unseen are the years of struggle that took them there.”
He said the government’s policy was aimed not only at rewarding champions but at ensuring that athletes could pursue sport without worrying about their careers or finances. He said the state has distributed cash awards worth ₹742 crore to 17,544 athletes in the last 12 years.
Stating that the government is also focusing on identifying talent early, Saini said Haryana has established 2,000 sports nurseries across the state where monthly scholarships of ₹1,500 for athletes aged eight to 14 and ₹2,000 for those aged 15 to 19 is given.
The CM expressed confidence that with Haryana’s athletes leading the way, India will emerge as a major global sporting power at the 2028, 2032 and 2036 Olympics. “Haryana’s athletes have raised the Tricolour high in Glasgow and in the years ahead they will do the same on the Olympic podium,” Saini said, calling upon the athletes to carry their Glasgow success to the Olympic podium.