The Commonwealth Games are returning to Glasgow this summer from 23 July to 2 August, with events kicking off at the OVO Hydro stadium on the 12-year anniversary of the 2014 edition of the Games, also hosted by Scotland’s largest city.
But Glasgow is a surprise destination for this year’s Games, stepping in to replace planned hosts Victoria after Australian State Premier Daniel Andrews cancelled the event due to financial concerns.
The upcoming Games will mark Scotland’s fourth time hosting the competition overall and the third time out of the previous four occasions that the Games will be held on British soil.
The change of venue reflects a challenging time for the Games as mounting costs and waning interest threaten to draw its nearly 100-year long history to a close.
Founded in 1930 as the British Empire Games, for generations the greatest sporting talents of up to 74 participating nations, mostly former British colonial territories, have competed against each other at the highest level. However, the introduction of other successful competitions, such as the European Games and Pan American and Pan Asian games, may spell the end for an event rooted in a bygone era. To combat the financial difficulties of hosting, this year’s Games will operate with a streamlined schedule of 10 events, down from the 20 featured at Birmingham 2022. Event organisers have further announced that the staging of the Games will come at no cost to the public purse, with four pre-existing venues across the city selected to host this summer’s events.
Track and field, swimming, cycling and an expanded programme of parasports are poised take centre stage at the Games, with a star-studded line up of Scottish athletes to represent the host nation in recent weeks. Over 200 gold medals will be contested over the 10 days of competition as some of the biggest names in sport descend on Glasgow. World champion pair Jake Wightman and Josh Kerr will represent Team Scotland in the Commonwealth Mile as the event makes a return to the Games in place of the 1500m for the first time since 1966. The golden duo will be joined on the track by World and European indoor medallist Neil Gourley as the Glaswegian makes his Commonwealth Games debut in front of a home crowd in one of the competition’s most hotly-anticipated events.
In the women’s mile, former British 1500m indoor record holder Jemma Reekie and reigning British 1500m champion Sarah Calvert are both looking to secure their first senior global medal. Reekie’s former training partner Laura Muir, the 2020 Olympic silver medallist and five time European champion, will compete in the 5000m, as the veteran runner seeks a return to form after struggling with a series of injuries.
Elsewhere on the track, reigning Commonwealth Champion and 2026 Games Ambassador Eilish McColgan and European Bronze medallist Megan Keith will compete in the 10000m. On the men’s side, Scottish record holder and recent British Championships silver medallist Andy Butchart makes up the host nation’s.
In the pool, Great Britain’s most decorated swimmer in Olympic history and Team Scotland’s most decorated athlete of all time Duncan Scott hopes to build on his tally of 13 Commonwealth medals at another home game, having won his first hardware in Glasgow’s Tollcross pool 12 years ago.
At the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, a 4500 capacity venue purposely built for the 2014 Games, star cycling trio Katie Archibald, Mark Stewart, and Lauren Bell also plan to extend their outstanding Commonwealth careers. Both Archibald and Stewart made their debut on home soil in 2014, with Archibald winning bronze in the Women’s Point Race. She has since gone on to become the World, European, and Commonwealth champion, as well as a three-time Olympic medallist. Stewart, only 18 years old last time in Glasgow, won gold in the Points Race at the 2018 Games and returns for his fourth Games as a three-time world medallist. Multiple World and European Championships medallist Bell made her debut at the 2022 Games and is seeking her first Commonwealth podium this summer.
In the Para Powerlifting, Hope Gordon and Finlay Davidson will open the Games for Team Scotland; this is the first time ever that the Commonwealth Games have begun with a parasport event. One of Scotland’s most versatile athletes, Gordon, a two time world champion and 2024 Paralympic silver medallist in the paracanoe, also became Great Britain’s first ever female para Nordic skier at the 2022 Winter Paralympics. She will compete in the Women’s Heavyweight Over 61kg event at Glasgow 2026.
21-year-old Davidson will make his Commonwealth Games debut in the men’s Lightweight under-72 kg category, inspired to take Para powerlifting seriously after watching the event at the 2022 Games.
“Women’s rugby sevens at the 2022 Commonwealth Games – Scotland vs Sri Lanka 180252” by Bearas is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
