Ten years after 41 Scottish Terriers led athletes into the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, Glasgow could use the legacy from that event to help save the Commonwealth Games.
Struggling to find a host for the quadrennial sporting event that welcomed 6,600 athletes from across the Commonwealth when last staged in Birmingham in 2022, the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) last week said it was working to “reset and reframe” the Games.
Glasgow has come forward with possible plans to organize a downscaled event that would feature only 10 to 13 sports, down from 20 in Birmingham. The anchor events such as athletics and swimming would be included, but all other competitions would depend upon available venues. With only two years to organize, no new facilities can be built and that includes the athletes village so existing accommodations must be used. That could limit the number of athletes.
Scotland’s sport minister Maree Todd told BBC “Scotland will only host it if there are no alternative hosts but we think we can help.”
Though she said she was excited at the prospect, she also cautioned that the risks and benefits for Scotland had to be carefully scrutinized and plans could only move forward without public funds.
“Obviously we would have to work really closely with the Commonwealth Games organization to make sure there was no requirement to invest public money in Scotland,” she said.
The CGF struggled began when it stripped Durban, South Africa of the 2022 Games for missing financial milestones. Birmingham, England had been planning a bid for the 2026 edition but stepped in to fill the 2022 gap instead.
No other cities emerged for 2026 so the CGF gave Hamilton in Canada, already targeting to host the centennial Games in 2030, an exclusive opportunity to pivot to 2026. The Ontario city failed to get provincial funding for the project and rejected the deal, leaving the CGF scrambling to find a host.
The CGF later signed a host contract with Australia’s Victoria, but that soon unraveled when the state premier claimed costs were skyrocketing and he was willing to pay a financial penalty to back out of the Games. No other Australian regions were willing to step in.
Using funds from the penalty payment, the CGF offered a £100 million (USD $126 million) investment to any region willing to host the Games. Singapore and Malaysia considered bidding, but both eventually ruled it out due to costs and risks. Last week Ghana’s sport minister said his nation was involved in talks to host the first Games in Africa.
The CGF announced last week that it is “considering multiple proposals” to host the 2026 Games and would be making a decision in May.
Todd told BBC “The Commonwealth Games are really important to Scotland and a vital part of the fabric that enables our athletes to be on the pathway to the Olympics.
“It’s a real chance to athletes to compete for Team Scotland.”
