Phil Batty casts his mind back to the moment it seemed that the Commonwealth Games might cease to exist, just shy of the centenary celebrations. It was November 2023 at the Commonwealth Games General Assembly in Singapore.
The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) had already struggled to find a host for 2026. Victoria, Australia, had agreed only to pull out a year after being given the honour, citing ballooning costs of about £3bn, saying it was “all cost and no benefit”.
A spokesperson for then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had to deny it was a sign of a declining Commonwealth. There was, however, deep unease when the nations convened at Bishan Sports Hall and the CGF pleaded for a lifeline.
“There was a genuine concern that this might not exist in the future,” says Batty, a director on the organising committee for the 2022 Games in Birmingham who was brought in to run Glasgow 2026 after Scotland picked up the baton.
“There was a clear message put out by Commonwealth Sport: if one of you steps up, we will invest in this event on the premise you reinvent so more nations can host it, and it is a different version of itself. It was about reinventing the Games for a new era.”
But is the Commonwealth Games, known officially as the Friendly Games, still relevant in the modern world? The Glasgow organisers believe so, and the city is embracing the challenge of reimagining the way a major sporting event can be staged. The budget is under £150m – about £600m less than in 2022 – and sustainability is at the forefront.
There is an eight-mile “corridor” to the competition, and most venues can be reached within 20 minutes’ walk of one another. If that is too far, the city is well connected by public transport.
Athletes will live in accommodation in the city centre. “The city is the venue,” says Batty. “Glasgow is a vibrant city; it’s got one of the greatest food scenes outside London. The athletes will soak up the atmosphere of Glasgow and Glasgow will soak up the atmosphere of having athletes.”
There will be six sports played in close proximity at the Scottish Events Campus, featuring several venues including the Armadillo auditorium (which looks like, yes, an armadillo) and the OVO Hydro, renowned for live entertainment. “You’re not going to feel like there’s a small Commonwealth Games going on,” says Batty. “You’re going to feel like: ‘Oh my God, 3x3 basketball is happening over there, judo’s happening there, netball’s over there.’ You’re going to hear it. That’s the ‘festivalisation’ of a sporting event.”
For Eilish McColgan, the 10,000m Commonwealth champion in 2022, the Games was the “stepping stone” to launch her career. “I never believed I’d be good enough to make an Olympic Games,” she says, having represented Great Britain in the last four Olympics. “For a lot of junior athletes, it’s that first little dream, that seed that’s planted that makes them think maybe they can make that team. Once they achieve that goal, they can dream a lot bigger.”
In another innovation, the 1,500m is to be replaced by the mile – bringing back an iconic event that once fascinated the UK, when Roger Bannister became the first person to break the four-minute barrier in 1954 and the great Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett rivalry emerged in the 1980s.
“Part of the innovation of making it new and unique is bringing back something that is historically very traditional,” says Jake Wightman, the 1,500m world silver medallist who will compete in the mile next year.
“Of all the major championships, none has the mile. If the Commonwealths stand alone having it, that’s something that will maintain its legacy a bit longer. If you’re going to win in 2026, you will be the first mile champion for a long time. When my friends were booking tickets, they mentioned it was a mile and said, ‘Are you all right with that?’ It’s only 109m more. I’d rather it was 1,391m!”
Will it all be enough, though, for the Commonwealth Games to retain legitimacy in a world of spiralling costs and a fight for eyeballs?
For now, at least, Glasgow has bridged the gap so that the Commonwealth Games can reach its century in 2030, when India’s Ahmedabad will offer its own new interpretation. Nations have expressed interest in hosting 2034.
“It’s our job to make it relevant,” says Batty, believing Glasgow 2026 can create a blueprint for smaller nations to follow.
“Scotland was courageous enough to step up. And it did that because it passionately believes that the Commonwealth Games delivers for Scottish sport and Commonwealth sport and wants to see it flourish over the next 100 years.”
Photograph by Shammi Mehra/AFP via Getty Images