On Tuesday, it was announced that badminton and hockey will not be participating in the 2026 Commonwealth Games, which will be held in Glasgow. The cost-conscious program only includes ten sports, including swimming, athletics, track cycling, boxing, and gymnastics. The last time the Games were held in Glasgow was in 2014, where 17 sports were contested, resulting in a cost of over £540m. The event is expected to host approximately 3,000 athletes from up to 74 Commonwealth countries and territories.
There will be “fully integrated para-competitions” for six of the selected sports, and Katie Sadleir, Chief Executive of the Commonwealth Games Federation, stated that the Games would be a “truly immersive festival of sport and celebration of culture and diversity.” The 2026 competition will not determine inclusion in future Games, organisers said.
While stripped-down, the event is expected to generate £150m for Glasgow, sell around 500,000 tickets, and attract a significant number of spectators. Approximately half the size of the audience from 2014 is anticipated, according to Ian Reid, Chairman of Commonwealth Games Scotland.
The four venues used during the event will be the Emirates Arena, Tollcross International Swimming Centre, the Scottish Event Campus (SEC), and Scotstoun Stadium, with existing accommodations used for athletes and officials. Temporary seating upgrades will be made at the four venues to accommodate the event’s audience.
Derek Keir, Scottish Hockey CEO, said his organisation was “deeply disappointed” by the decision as the sport had been present at the Games since 1988. While other sports like track cycling and gymnastics had slimmed down to only their most prominent events, such as artistic gymnastics, there will still be no involvement for sports like diving. 3×3 basketball and 3×3 wheelchair basketball were among the ten selected sports, and organisers argued that it would help bring a younger audience to the Games.
The costs of the event will be approximately £114m, with the CGF chipping in £100m toward the budget. The balance will come from commercial revenue such as ticket sales, broadcast rights, commercial sponsorship, and merchandise, with £2.3m coming from the UK government and £2.3m coming from Commonwealth Games Australia, who had initially pulled out of hosting the event
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