Commonwealth Games 2026
It Cooperation games will be held in Glasgow (mainly Glasgow but also elsewhere in Scotland) from 23 July to 2 August 2026. It will include 10 sports.
Basketball *
Gymnastics
Athletics *
Bowls*
Boxing
Judo
Swimming *
Track Cycling*
Weightlifting *
Sports marked with * will include a paragraph element.
The athletics element will be at Scotstoun Stadium, which will hold around 10,000 spectators from July 27 to August 1.
The Games, which began in 1930, take place every 4 years, and currently 72 countries participate. While there is one Great Britain (Great Britain and Northern Ireland) team at the Olympics, there are separate teams from England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man at the Commonwealth Games. The importance of this difference should not be underestimated. The likes of Laura Muir and Gemma Rickey could compete for Scotland against the likes of Keeley Hodgkinson and England’s Georgia Hunter Bell, rather than as GB teammates. Scottish and Welsh athletes love the chance to compete for their ‘nation’.
It Cooperation games also provides an opportunity for athletes who do not make the GB team to compete internationally. Then there is the confusing case of Northern Irish athletes, such as Kate O’Connor, who have dual nationality, competing for Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games and for Ireland in other international competitions. Based on the old British Empire, most countries are English-speaking (at least as a second language), making the Commonwealth the so-called “Friendlies”.
The 2018 Games in Australia’s Gold Coast were great. The games have suffered since then. Durban, South Africa, was awarded the 2022 Games but then pulled out due to spiraling costs. Birmingham, England, was shortlisted to host the games. Birmingham did well in the short term, but without the Commonwealth Village, the athletes spread out in hotels and university halls of residence. The 2026 Games were awarded to Melbourne, but again the host city withdrew. Another Australian city, previous host Gold Coast, offered to host again, but the Australian government vetoed the plan, refusing any federal funding.
Glasgow has agreed to host the 2026 Games, but on a smaller scale – fewer sports, fewer athletes. Although Glasgow converted the main football stadium, the 50,000-seater Hampden Park, for athletics in 2014, this year they have no budget and will use the smaller Scotstoun.
There is also a more fundamental question about the event. Does an event that dates back to the British Empire and that celebrates colonialism to some extent have a place in the 21st century world?
That said, the Commonwealth Games is a good event that is loved by athletes and spectators alike. I should know because Glasgow will be my fifth.
