Glasgow hosts Commonwealth Games after Victoria withdrawal
Glasgow is set to host the Commonwealth Games, which will feature a reduced scale compared to previous editions. The city stepped in after the Australian state of Victoria withdrew from hosting the Games in July 2023 due to projected costs soaring to more than A$6 billion (£3.11bn). Victoria had originally estimated the event would cost A$2.6bn (£1.35bn). A deal for Glasgow to host a “scaled back, but high-quality” event was agreed in September 2023, backed by the Scottish government.
The 23rd edition of the Games will cost £150m, with no public money spent. The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) is investing £100m, and the remaining funds will come from commercial revenue streams such as ticketing, sponsorship, broadcast rights, and merchandise. This contrasts with the 2014 Games budget of £543m.
The Games will be staged across four venues: Scotstoun Stadium, Tollcross International Swimming Centre, Glasgow International Arena, and the Scottish Event Campus (SEC). The opening ceremony will take place at the Hydro, officially opened by King Charles. Athletes from 74 nations and territories, along with dignitaries including Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney, and the First Minister of Wales Rhun ap Iorwerth, are expected to attend. Some of the 4,000 Games volunteers, aged 16 to 96, will also participate in the celebration.
Athletes to watch and new events
Approximately 3,000 competitors will vie for 215 gold medals, a decrease from the 261 gold medals available when Scotland last hosted the Games. However, Glasgow 2026 will feature a record 47 para-sports events. The action begins with bowls and para-bowls heats at 09:30.
Among the notable athletes competing is Jamaican sprinter Elaine Thompson-Herah, who made her Commonwealth debut in 2014 and aims to defend her titles from Birmingham 2022. Other prominent names include Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse and Jamaican two-time world 200m champion Shericka Jackson. Scotland’s Eilish McColgan will seek to retain her 10,000m Commonwealth title, following her mother Liz’s victory in the same event at the 1986 Games in Edinburgh. Laura Muir, the reigning 1500m Commonwealth champion, will run the 5,000m.
In swimming, South Africa’s Chad Le Clos, who won two golds in Glasgow in 2014, will return with the goal of becoming the most decorated male in Games history, adding to his current 18 medals. Other Olympic champions at Tollcross include Australia’s Mollie O’Callaghan, England’s Adam Ramsay-Peaty, and Northern Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen. Scotland’s most successful Olympian, Duncan Scott, hopes to expand his collection of 13 Commonwealth medals.
The mile race returns to the Games for the first time since 1966, replacing the 1500m. The race on 1 August will feature a strong line-up, including Josh Kerr, who recently broke the mile world record. He will face competition from 2022 world champion Jake Wightman and Neil Gourley. Australia’s Cameron Myers will also compete. In the women’s mile race, Scotland will be represented by Jemma Reekie.
The decision to scale back the Games led to some events being dropped from the schedule. Hockey was excluded, despite a £5m national hockey centre being built for Glasgow 2014. The cycling programme will be confined to the track, with mountain biking and road races removed. Rhythmic gymnastics events are not included, with only artistic gymnastics featuring. Bowls, previously held at Kelvingrove, will now be indoors at the SEC. Badminton, squash, and diving competitions were also scrapped.
Opening ceremony and community engagement
The opening ceremony at the OVO Hydro still had adult tickets available on Wednesday, with prices ranging from £45 to £95. The 13,000-capacity arena will host live music, the parade of nations, and the arrival of all 74 Commonwealth batons. Sir Chris Hoy, a six-time Olympic cycling champion, will participate.
The opening ceremony will feature performances by KT Tunstall, Callum Beattie, Nathan Evans, Tom Walker, and Saint Phnx. This year, each competing team received its own baton to decorate, rather than transporting one across the Commonwealth. The Scottish leg of the relay launched on 1 July when swimmer Duncan Scott sailed up the River Clyde on a power boat. Since then, the baton has visited communities, events, and festivals across the country’s 32 local authorities.
Scotland will be led into the opening ceremony by veteran lawn bowler Alex Marshall and double Commonwealth judo champion Sarah Adlington. Marshall, 59, is Scotland’s most decorated Commonwealth athlete with five gold medals and one silver. Adlington won gold in Glasgow in 2014 and at Birmingham 2022. England’s flag bearers will be lawn bowler Sian Honnor and swimmer Luke Greenbank. The latter won relay gold in 2022, while the former claimed Commonwealth titles in Glasgow and Birmingham.
Organisers offered free tickets for selected sessions, including athletics, para powerlifting, netball, and 3×3 basketball, to members of Scotland’s Tartan Army supporters’ club. This promotion was described as a gesture of thanks to fans who supported Scotland at the football World Cup. The Games will conclude on 2 August.
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Source: bbc.co.uk
As NewsGB's Senior Football Correspondent, Jack Ferndale reports on the Premier League, the EFL and the England national side for readers across the country. He covered north-east football for a regional daily. He holds a degree in Sports Journalism from the University of Sunderland and completed an NCTJ diploma. Jack lives in Sunderland, where he watches lower-league football home and away. “The story is in the squad, not just the starting eleven.”
