Glasgow confirmed as host city for 2026 Commonwealth Games

LONDON – Glasgow has been confirmed as the host city for the troubled 2026 Commonwealth Games, which will be a slimmed-down version of the multi-sport event.

The future of the 2026 Games was thrown into doubt when the Australian state of Victoria, the original hosts, withdrew in 2023, citing rising costs.

But the Scottish government effectively gave the green light to Glasgow in September and the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) announced on Oct 22 that the 2014 hosts will stage the next Games, from July 23 to Aug 2, 2026.

The Games will feature just 10 sports, compared with the 19 on show at the 2022 edition in the English city of Birmingham.

Para-sport will once again be fully integrated as “a key priority and point of difference for the Games”, with six para-sports included on the programme.

The schedule will feature athletics and para-athletics, swimming and para-swimming, artistic gymnastics, track cycling and para-track cycling, netball, weightlifting and para-powerlifting, boxing, judo, bowls and para-bowls, as well as 3x3 basketball and 3x3 wheelchair basketball. Among the sports missing out compared to the 2022 Games are triathlon, diving, hockey, cricket, squash, badminton and rugby sevens.

Around 3,000 athletes are expected to compete from up to 74 Commonwealth nations and territories.

The CGF said Glasgow 2026 would deliver more than £100 million (S$170.7 million) of inward investment into the city.

Britain and Australia have staged five of the past six editions between them, but CGF chief executive Katie Sadleir believes a slimmed-down model will increase the potential pool of future hosts.

“The 2026 Games will be a bridge to the Commonwealth Games of tomorrow,” said Sadleir.

“An exciting first step in our journey to reset and redefine the Games as a truly collaborative, flexible and sustainable model for the future that minimises costs, reduces the environmental footprint and enhances social impact – in doing so increasing the scope of countries capable of hosting.”

Commonwealth Games Scotland chief executive Jon Doig added: “Glasgow 2026 will have all the drama, passion and joy that we know the Commonwealth Games deliver even if it is to be lighter and leaner than some previous editions. It will be more accessible, delivered on a smaller footprint which brings our fans closer to the sporting action.”

Commonwealth Games Scotland chairman Ian Reid said it had not been easy to decide which sports to include.

“Everybody recognises that these events need to be more affordable, lighter and we would have loved to have all of our sports and all of our athletes competing, but unfortunately it’s just not deliverable or affordable for this timeframe,” he told the BBC.

But he said the programme could vary for future Games and may increase in size, depending on venues.

The CGF said there would be no need for public funding to deliver the Glasgow Games, with Australia providing part of the costs after Victoria’s withdrawal.

Victoria pulled out after citing a projected cost of more than A$6 billion (S$5.3 billion).

The Commonwealth Games, held every four years, evolved out of the British Empire Games and are still made up mainly of countries and territories once subject to British imperial rule. AFP, REUTERS