Is there real value in Glasgow hosting pared-back 2026 Games?
In considering whether we should welcome the 2026 Games to Scotland, almost all comparisons to Glasgow 2014 should be thrown straight in the bin
POTENTIALLY within days, but certainly within weeks, we will know if the Commonwealth Games are returning to Scottish shores.
By the end of the month the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) should have announced, definitively, the host city for the 2026 Games.
The fact we are in May 2024 and no host city has yet been determined says all you need to know about the state of these Games.
It has been well documented, including in these pages, just how difficult it has been for the CGF to find a host for the event. Frankly, no one wants it.
The list of withdrawals as hosts is lengthy. Several Australian cities and states, Singapore and Malaysia have all ruled themselves out in recent months, to add to the others who had previously yanked themselves out of the running. This has contributed to the position the Commonwealth Games is in now: with two years to go, the 2026 edition remains homeless.
Given the success of Glasgow 2014, it’s hardly surprising that many in this country look fondly upon the event, a fact that likely contributed to the offer from Commonwealth Games Scotland to host the 2026 version if no other host could be found.
With the clock ticking, it’s looking increasingly likely that the 2026 Games will indeed be heading back to Glasgow – not because of any spectacular winning bid but because no one else will touch them.
I remain split about whether the return of the Games to Scotland would be a good thing.
Glasgow 2014 was, undeniably, an overwhelming success.
From the almost flawless running of the event to the impressive quality of athletes that competed (by Commonwealth standards anyway), and the impact it had on the city, the vast majority of Scots had been convinced by the end of the 11 days of competition that hosting the event had been well worthwhile.
But in considering whether we should welcome the 2026 Games to Scotland, almost all comparisons to Glasgow 2014 should be thrown straight in the bin.
The 2026 version, if they do indeed return to Scotland, will look very different to the Games that took Scotland by storm in 2014.
First, the preparation time is now miniscule. There’s a reason why major, multi-sport competitions are typically allocated a host about seven years in advance and that’s because that is how long it takes to prepare adequately for an event of that scale.
And second, the budget will be a fraction of that of Glasgow 2014, when the final cost came in at about £543 million.
It’s estimated the budget for the 2026 Games, if it does come to Scotland, will be £130m-£150m.
Such a reduction cannot be masked.
Admittedly, much of the money in 2014 went on building facilities, something which would not be required this time around; only the athletics track, would need to be built (a temporary track was assembled in Hampden Stadium last time), with existing accommodation being used for the Athletes’ Village.
But don’t be fooled into thinking a truly world-class event could be put on in such a short timescale with such a limited budget.
Commonwealth Games Scotland, in their offer to the CGF, stressed the sporting programme would include only between 10 and 13 sports, significantly fewer than the 20 on the programme at Birmingham 2022. Such a decrease would, clearly, be essential given the financial and time limitations.
So, could it, given the parameters in which Scotland would play host, be a success?
I have to admit, I’m sceptical. But perhaps that’s unfair. Having competed as an athlete at three Commonwealth Games, I know first-hand how thrilling an event it can be, and Glasgow has both the infrastructure and expertise to have a good stab at making 2026 a success.
Similarly, for all the criticism, including from myself, about the Commonwealth Games being a second-tier sporting event that comes with a top-tier price tag, it doesn’t necessarily have to be delivered at a financial loss.
The 2022 Games in Birmingham cost almost £780m and a recent evaluation report by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport said it contributed almost £1.2 billion to the UK economy.
That’s not a bad return by anyone’s standards.
So, given the financial success of Birmingham, hosting the Games does not need to be a negative exercise.
And that’s before we consider the incalculable factors, such as engaging people with sport and encouraging the population, and especially kids, to become more active.
The major issue for me is that the Commonwealth Games is a dying brand.
I don’t think it’s outlandish to suggest that in a decade there will be no more Games.
Indeed, given the trouble there has been in finding a host for 2026, the prospect of finding one for 2030, which will be the centenary of the event, seems remote.
So, does Glasgow want to be the city that hosts a scaled-down, on-the-cheap Commonwealth Games that potentially marks the end of the entire movement?
I can’t see the impact of Glasgow 2026 being anything like that of 2014, so the value of hosting the event appears worryingly limited.
Yet, for all my concerns, there remains a significant part of me that would love to see the Commonwealth Games return to Scotland.
We will soon know if it is to become a reality.