Commonwealth Games will return to Glasgow in 2026 after deal agreed by Scottish Government
The Commonwealth Games will make a surprise return to Glasgow in 2026 just 12 years after the city last hosted the event, it was confirmed today.
But the sporting extravaganza will be a scaled-back affair with fewer athletes expected to compete in only 10 sports. Scotstoun Stadium - and not Hampden Park - will be used for all track and field events while Tollcross will be used for swimming races.
The 2026 Games was meant to be hosted in Australia but local organisers pulled the plug last year in a row over costs. It forced Commonwealth bosses to turn to Scotland where much of the sporting infrastructure required for the event is already in place.
Speculation has mounted for months that Glasgow would be named as a replacement host city - but confirmation was delayed as the Scottish Government sought assurances from organisers over who would be financially liable. It comes at a time SNP ministers at Holyrood have been forced to make brutal cuts in public spending.
The Scottish Government only signed-off today on bringing back the event after it was agreed that no public money would be spent.
Millions in pounds in compensation paid for by Australian sporting bosses will instead be used to pay for the Games, alongside ticket sales and broadcasting rights.
Neil Gray, the Health Secretary, said ministers had conducted a "thorough assessment" of a plan put forward by Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) for bringing the event back. Glasgow City Council and the UK Government have also backed the bid.
Gray said: "It is because Glasgow is a world-class event hosting destination, with the facilities and expertise required to deliver such an event as the Commonwealth Games, that we are able to proceed.
READ MORE: SNP Government to meet Commonwealth Games Australia to discuss Glasgow 2026 plan
"Glasgow will deliver a world-class sporting event which will reimagine the Commonwealth Games for future generations. In return, this proposal will bring economic benefit to businesses and support a programme of capital upgrades to a number of existing venues in Glasgow."
In a bid to keep costs down, the 2026 Games won't feature any running or cycling events that require public roads to be closed - meaning no marathon will take place. Hampden was ruled out as a venue for athletics on cost grounds, meaning the much smaller Scotstoun Stadium in the west end of the city will be used instead.
Swimming events will again be hosted at Tollcross International Swim Centre in the city's east end. Anas Sarwar, Scottish Labour leader, welcomed the announcement. "Glasgow is a great city, but it is in need of economic investment and renewal," he said.
"By hosting the games, we can showcase Glasgow and Scotland on the international stage and bring investment and tourism here. This is our chance to complete the legacy of the 2014 games, show global leadership and deliver the change that Glasgow needs. We must all work together so that the people and businesses of Glasgow and across Scotland benefit.”
Gray said the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) will cover “the majority of costs using money secured in a compensation negotiation with the Victorian Government following their withdrawal as hosts in July 2023”.
The CGF has also provided a further £20 million of funding to support delivery of the event and required contingency, including a £5 million investment for Glasgow City Council to use for capital upgrades and a cultural programme.
The UK Government has agreed to provide a ringfenced contingency funding of up to £2.3 million that can be accessed if existing budget funds and contingency have been exceeded and all efforts to reduce costs have been exhausted.
Ian Murray, the Scottish Secretary, said: "This is good news for the Commonwealth Games and another opportunity for Glasgow to demonstrate yet again its ability to put on fantastic sporting events.
"There are still a few hoops to jump through but I'm very much looking forward to an incredible celebration of sport and seeing Scottish athletes in action in front of a home crowd.
"I am pleased the UK Government, through the Scotland Office and Department for Culture, Media and Sport, have worked closely with the Scottish Government to ensure a positive outcome."
The CGF has struggled to find hosts for the event in recent years, with declining public interest outside of the UK Durban was supposed to be the first city in Africa to stage the Games in 2022 - but it was stripped of hosting rights in 2017 over costs.
It forced Birmingham and the UK Government to intervene to save the event at a combined cost of £1billion.
The Australian state of Victoria then dropped out in July 2023 after the projected cost for the event became "well and truly too much" for its local government to face.
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