Commonwealth Games hailed ‘Alive and Kicking’ as Simple Minds close Glasgow 2026
Commonwealth Games chiefs insisted the movement is still “Alive and Kicking” as Glasgow rock band Simple Minds brought the curtain down on 11 days of sporting action at Sunday night’s closing ceremony at The Hydro.
The city stepped in to rescue the event with a cut-price £160million programme after original hosts Victoria pulled out at short notice, placing its future in doubt.
The Indian city of Amdavad has since revealed a relatively lucrative plan for the 2034 Games, in which a large portion of the costs are being absorbed into a longer-term bid to host a future edition of the Olympic Games.
But Glasgow 2026 chief executive Phil Batty believes his city’s offering – bolstered by £100million of compensation from the Australian state – can serve as a blueprint for a more flexible model moving forward.
“Eleven days ago, we asked whether the Commonwealth Games were still relevant and whether Glasgow could create a new blueprint for the future,” said Batty.
“Sitting here on day 11, I feel we’ve answered that question once and for all. We’ve created a belief among all 74 nations that every nation could – and should – host a Commonwealth Games, and they should look different wherever they are hosted.
“With this more flexible, sustainable, smarter and more inclusive approach, every future edition of the Commonwealth Games will have its own flavour, feel and character.
“Glasgow 2026 has taken the belief that allowed us to step in, step up and be brave, and I hope we’ve shared that belief with the rest of the Commonwealth.”
English interest may have plunged behind a TV paywall and never-ending reports of the withdrawals of star names, but in Australia, India, and a slew of nations including Lesotho, Tuvalu and Dominica that all raucously celebrated medal firsts, the Commonwealth Games clearly still matter.
Despite baulking at the opportunity to host the Games, Australia were only too happy to capitalise on England’s reluctance, soaring clear at the top of the medal table with a total of 171, including 70 golds – more than Birmingham in 2022, despite the programme being slashed almost in half.
The desire to make hosting a future Commonwealth Games more attractive involves a broad commitment to cutting the previous costs, estimated at upwards of £700m, by 60%, meaning a future Games could come in at around the £300m mark, with a significant proportion of that underwritten by government funding.
Commonwealth Sport chief executive Katie Sadleir said: “We’re looking at roughly a 60% reduction in costs (going forward).
“The level of government investment will be different in every country. We’re not telling hosts, ‘this is what you must do’. Instead, we’re asking, ‘What are you trying to achieve?’ and then working with them to make it happen. It’s a much more collaborative process.
“We’ve had about five nations talking to us about hosting the 2034 Commonwealth Games. That’s a big change from where we were, and it’s because we’re working with countries to create a model that suits them.”
Sadleir has not ruled out the possibility of making some sports, such as athletics – which, Josh Kerr apart, was relatively bereft of star names – serve as qualification events for continental or world championships in a bid to ensure the star names are incentivised to return.
“Should the Commonwealth Games be a qualifier for world championships? Why not?” added Sadleir. “Those are exactly the kinds of conversations we need to have if we’re going to create a clearer pathway for athletes moving forward.”
