Less than three years after the original hosts, Victoria, paid AUS$380 million (£199 million) to pull out of the 2026 Commonwealth Games, citing fears of billions in losses, Glasgow has stepped in to host a cheaper, stripped-back event with only 10 sports compared to 19 four years ago. As the 11-day competition begins, organisers insist this is not the last hurrah for the Games.
Glasgow's cut-price Games
Phil Batty, chief executive of Glasgow 2026, is bullish about the future. "This definitely isn't the last hurrah for the Commonwealth Games," he told the Guardian. "What we've seen is a wholesale shift of what the Commonwealth Games needs to do to sustain itself, not just to 2030, but to 2034, 2038 and beyond. We've got some of the best athletes in the Commonwealth, in a city that loves sport, in a nation that loves events. We're ready to showcase what a new format of the Games looks like, but one which still protects all those amazing hallmarks that makes it super-special."
However, beneath the optimism, significant challenges remain. Tickets are still widely available for most events. When Glasgow last hosted the Games in 2014, track and field was held at Hampden Park with a capacity of 46,000. This time, it will be at Scotstoun Stadium, which holds just over 10,000, yet tickets are still available for almost every session.
TV coverage and star athletes
UK viewers seeking free-to-air coverage will be disappointed. TNT Sports bought the rights for a reported £5 million—a tiny sum in the booming TV sports market—with insiders saying the BBC offered considerably less. This marks the first time since 1954 that the BBC will not broadcast the Games. TNT is promising more than 600 hours of live coverage on HBO Max for £4.99, but for many casual fans, it may be out of sight, out of mind.
Despite these issues, the Games will feature top athletes. Josh Kerr, the new mile world record holder, will face off against 2025 world 1500m silver medallist Jake Wightman and Australian wunderkind Cameron Myers in what promises to be the race of the Games. Double Olympic breaststroke champion Adam Peaty goes for double gold, while the fastest 50m swimmer in history, Cameron McEvoy, leads a strong Australian swimming contingent.
Absentees and financial doubts
The list of absentees is long and painful. It includes Britain's Keely Hodgkinson, the women's 800m Olympic champion; Canadian swimming sensation Summer McIntosh; men's 100m world champion Oblique Seville; Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo; world 400m champion Collen Kebinatshipi; and Olympic women's 100m champion Julien Alfred. Many question whether the Games can survive if so many stars skip them.
Financial concerns also loom. Birmingham 2022 ended with costs estimated at £778 million, leaving a stinking financial hangover. Victoria's auditor general called the Games "a waste of taxpayer money" with no "discernible benefit." Ahmedabad, India, has agreed to host the 2030 edition as part of its Olympic bid, but it remains unclear how many other governments will risk taxpayers' money on a mid-tier event.
A future for the Games?
Batty remains confident. "This is going to be a Games that stands shoulder to shoulder with previous Games," he said. "And it is a really important moment for Commonwealth Sport. It was an event that was in jeopardy which needed to reinvent and make itself fit for purpose for the future. We have created a format of the event that's flexible, relevant and integrated para-sport. Therefore this is something that's going to continue for many editions going forwards."
Many are deeply sceptical, given the looser geopolitical ties of the Commonwealth. Yet people have written off the event before, only for it to cling on. Organisers announced that Simple Minds will headline the closing ceremony. Over the next 10 days, the world will see whether the Games are still alive and kicking.
