Glasgow to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games after Victoria backs off

Glasgow, Scotland's capital, has agreed to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games after the original host, Victoria of Australia, declined due to the rising cost. Glasgow has previously successfully hosted the  2012 Commonwealth Games. 

The first Commonwealth Games was held in 1930, and countries or territories that are members of the Commonwealth Games Federation, now known as Commonwealth Sport, participate in the Games.

The last of six of the seventh edition of the Commonwealth Games has been held in Great Britain or Australia.

Scotland, England and Wales constitute Great Britain.

Glasgow to host scaled-down 23rd Commonwealth Games

The  Australian state of Victoria was awarded the hosting right of the 23rd Commonwealth Games in 2026. The organiser of the Victorian Commonwealth Games even received the traditional torch as the next host of the games from the 2022 Birmingham Games organising committee at the closing ceremony of the 2022 Games.

After the Victorian government refusal to support the Commonwealth Games financially, Victoria refused to host them. 

Glasgow agreed to host the games after it received backing from the Scottish government.

The  2026 Games will be a scaled-down version of the previous Commonwealth Games and will host only 10 sporting events, compared to the 17 sporting events of the 2022 Birmingham Games.

In 2021, Commonwealth Sports agreed to make athletics and swimming compulsory, while Archery and Boxing were declared core sports.

It is not clear which sporting events will be included in the 2026 edition.

According to the Glasgow Games organising committee, there will be no athlete’s village, no new stadiums are to be built, and the opening and closing ceremonies will be modest.

About Commonwealth Games 

The first Commonwealth Games was organised as the British Empire Games in Hamilton, Canada, in 1930. 

It is held every four years but was not held in 1942 and 1946 due to World War II.

Only two Asian cities have hosted the Commonwealth Games: Kualumpur, Malaysia, in 1998 and Delhi in 2010. 

So far, the Commonwealth Games has not been hosted by an African country.

The Commonwealth is a group of countries that were previously a colony of Great Britain but are now independent.

The Commonwealth Countries have set up the Commonwealth Games Federation, now known as Commonwealth Sport,  which administers the Commonwealth Games.

Commonwealth Sport Members: 74 countries