By Victor Kanayo
Organisers on Tuesday confirmed that Glasgow will now host the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
This was disclosed by Commonwealth Games Scotland Chief executive Jon Doig.
He said, “Glasgow 2026 will have all the drama, passion and joy that we know the Commonwealth Games delivers 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.”
He said the Scottish city stepped in after the Australian state of Victoria withdrew due to cost concerns.
Among the sports to be axed from the programme are badminton, cricket, hockey and rugby sevens.
The Games, which will run from July 23 to August 2 in 2026, will feature 10 sports across four venues – athletics, swimming, artistic gymnastics, track cycling, netball, weightlifting, boxing, judo, bowls and 3×3 basketball.
It will also feature para sports including athletics, swimming, track cycling and wheelchair basketball.
The Games were originally slated for Victoria but the state withdrew as host in 2023 due to rising costs. Malaysia briefly considered an offer to stage the event but rejected it in March citing time constraints as well as costs and funding issues.
Glasgow stepped in as a back-up venue in April and the Scottish government backed the bid to host a scaled-down version, with the CGF offering 100 million pounds ($130 million) in supporting funds.
Glasgow had hosted the event in 2014.
