Sports Announced for Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games

Glasgow’s scaled-back 2026 Commonwealth Games will not include rugby sevens, which was invented in Scotland in the 1880s, as part of a 10-sport program in four venues.

Other sports that have been dropped include field hockey, triathlon, badminton, Twenty20 cricket, squash, and diving. The Commonwealth Games program will have athletics and swimming along with track cycling, gymnastics, netball, weightlifting, boxing, judo, bowls and 3×3 basketball.

There will also be integrated para events in six of those sports: Athletics, swimming, track cycling, weightlifting, bowls and basketball. It was not easy to decide which sports to include, Commonwealth Games Scotland chairman Ian Reid told the BBC.

Scotland rescued the Commonwealth Games that were in jeopardy after Australia’s Victoria state backed out of plans to host the 2026 event. The Games had been scheduled for Australia’s Victoria state with five regional centers hosting 20 sports and nine fully-integrated Para sports.

Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said his government budgeted $1.8 billion to stage the Games but estimates then put the potential cost as high as $4.8 billion and backed out of hosting the event. An inquiry later found the estimates they relied on were overstated. Victoria state agreed to a compensation package with the Commonwealth Games Federation, which will help offset costs for Scotland.

Athletes and support staff will be housed in hotels. Around 3,000 athletes are expected to compete from up to 74 Commonwealth nations and territories.

Glasgow hosted the event in 2014 at a cost of more than 540 million pounds. The 2026 event, reported the BBC, will cost approximately £114m with the Commonwealth Games Federation paying £100m towards the bill, with £2.3m coming from Commonwealth Games Australia and £2.3m from the UK government with the rest coming from commercial revenue including ticket sales.

The Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive Katie Sadleir said: “The 2026 Games will be a bridge to the Commonwealth Games of tomorrow, 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 minimizes costs, reduces the environmental footprint, and enhances social impact. In doing so, increasing the scope of countries capable of hosting.”

The event held every four years was established in 1930 as the British Empire Games and is open to 74 nations and territories. Birmingham hosted the 2022 Games.