In response to media interest in the past days and weeks, Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) can provide an update on the process for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

In April, CGS revealed details of an innovative, cost-effective and sustainable concept for the Games without the need for significant public investment. Since then, CGS has developed the concept with the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) and other stakeholders, including the Scottish and UK governments.

A fundamental part and principle of the project is that it does not require – nor has CGS asked for – any underwriting from Scottish or UK governments.

Unique to this opportunity, the Games will be funded by private income rather than the public purse, with the majority of costs covered by the CGF, using money secured in a compensation negotiation with the Victorian Government following their withdrawal as hosts in July 2023.

This support includes:

• £100 million towards the cost of running the Games, with the remainder funded through commercial opportunities.
• An additional multi-million-pound investment into upgrading public sporting facilities including maintaining Tollcross as a world-class venue and to ensure the future of Scotstoun as a world-class rugby and athletics venue.
• Funding for city activation projects across Glasgow.

The inward investment to the Glasgow and Scottish economies of that magnitude will bring significant benefits, with an anticipated 500,000 tickets available to spectators and an estimated economic value add of over £150 million to the region. In context, in 2023-24 Scotland saw £1.89bn of capital investment in Scotland^[1] – the Glasgow 2026 Games will provide over 5% of that figure alone, without a reliance on public spending.

It is anticipated that the Games will provide a wide range of economic benefits including:

• ⁠⁠the creation of a Scotland-focused procurement strategy which provides operational and event-based contracts for Scottish suppliers and ultimately creates a significant number of Scottish jobs, in line with other similar sized events.
• ⁠⁠continued utilisation and development of the world-class event specialists in Scotland.
• ⁠⁠full hotel occupancy across the city in the summer of 2026.
• ⁠⁠fully booked world-class sports venues.
• ⁠⁠hundreds of thousands of city visitors filling bars and restaurants.

The cost of the Games is calculated at approximately £114 million, devised by a team of experienced major event budgeting professionals. Unlike other major multi-sport events, the concept has been specifically designed to ensure that there is no requirement from the public purse to deliver the Games, and in doing so the concept includes:

• budgeting for all direct Games costs, including security and other blue light services where required.
• a budget contingency of up to 24%, accounted for in the projected Games cost.
• scope to adjust service levels to reduce costs where required.

Additionally, Games costs have been minimised through several aspects, including:

• a revised programme of 10 sports, reducing the number of athletes and support staff.
• a compact four-venue model within an eight-mile corridor, minimising transport, hire and security costs. 
• using existing sport and accommodation venues, avoiding the need for major capital projects.

Chair of Commonwealth Games Scotland, Ian Reid CBE, said “The Games will undoubtedly look and feel different to the historic events of 10 years ago. However, the circumstances facing us are remarkably different – the 2026 Games hang in the balance and the UK finances are facing tough decisions. But the Games presents a real opportunity for Glasgow and Scotland, giving us the chance to bring wide-ranging benefits to the country and public purse.

“Scotland has been offered £100m+ of the Victorian Government’s money to secure the future of the Commonwealth Games. That is £100m+ of inward investment at a time when there are critical works needed in the city; that investment alone would account for 5% of the overall inward investment into Scotland over the past year. To potentially turn down such a significant sum of money, which only serves to boost the Glasgow and Scottish economies and has been deliberately created not to rely on the public purse at a time of economic uncertainty, is – in our opinion – short-sighted.

“We are confident of delivering a world-class sporting event to packed crowds in Glasgow, with some of the world’s sporting stars providing inspirational moments for the millions of spectators in Scotland, the UK and across the Commonwealth.

“Should we choose not to step up and host, the future of high-performance sport in Scotland will be under serious threat.

“Glasgow 2014 provided a catalyst for success for many Scottish athletes, including those who won medals at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games; 25 of the 34 Scots on Team GB have competed for Team Scotland at the Commonwealth Games, including six of the nine medallists. The same can be said for many of the Scottish athletes inspiring the nation at the Paralympic Games. For so many in Scottish sport, the Commonwealth Games is a pinnacle – a career highlight, loved by athletes, support staff and fans alike.

“The Commonwealth Games is the only opportunity for many athletes to compete under the Scottish flag and is a key development stage for our stars on their journey to international success. The Scottish high-performance system is largely designed around the Games, being the biggest stage for many of our sports.

“The decision to host the Games has been sitting with the Scottish Government since May, and we have worked tirelessly to address all questions and concerns raised across the past few months. However, the window of opportunity is fast closing, and with it, the ability to deliver within the timeline ahead of us hampered by uncertainty and delays.

“It would be a travesty if instead of grabbing the opportunity of over £100 million inward investment, we chose to let it go and instead be left needing to find millions elsewhere to fund the essential capital work needed to upgrade public facilities in the coming years, and leave hundreds of Scottish athletes, aspiring and established, without an avenue to compete for Scotland on the international stage.

“A decision over the coming weeks is critical to deliver the Games – we believe the concept is a no brainer.

“This is a unique opportunity for the people of Glasgow and Scotland to be at the centre of a bold vision for the Games and we are calling on the Government to not waste the unique opportunity which is in front of us.”

Commonwealth Games Federation President Chris Jenkins OBE said “We fully endorse Commonwealth Games Scotland’s innovative concept for the 2026 Commonwealth Games and believe that Scotland, with its significant experience in organising major sports events, is more than able to deliver a world-class event in such a short period of time.

‘’In utilising existing sporting, transport and accommodation infrastructure, and world-class venues and expertise, the compact concept would not only build on the legacy of Glasgow 2014 but would position Scotland as pioneers at the start of our journey in resetting and reframing the Commonwealth Games of the future as a collaborative, flexible and sustainable model that minimises costs, inspires athletes, and excites Hosts and International Federations.’’

^[1] Source: Scottish Enterprise news release August 2024

Day 1 Round Up

Scottish swimmer Toni Shaw competed in her first event of the Games, placing fourth in her S9 400m Freestyle heats meaning she qualified for the medal race. Shaw’s effort saw her place fifth in the final race with a time of 4:48.44.

Robyn Love and Jodie Waite were both part of the ParalympicsGB Women’s Wheelchair Basketball team that won their first round match v Spain. The team won 69-34 against their opponents.

In the Para Table Tennis Men’s Doubles, Martin Perry with partner William Bayley were victorious in their Round of 16 match against Germany, winning 3-0.

Neil Fachie competed in his first race at the National Velodrome. He placed 13th in the Men’s B 4000m Individual Pursuit Qualifying, missing out on qualification for the medal races.

Patrick Wilson was successful in his preliminary round of the Men’s Individual BC3 Boccia, winning 5-3 against fellow ParalympicsGB contestant William Arnott. Stephen McGuire was also victorious in Boccia, beating Malaysia’s Abdul Rahman Abdul Razzaq 8-0 in the Men’s Individual BC4 Preliminary round. Kayleigh Haggo competed in her Boccia BC2 Preliminary round, narrowly missing out on victory against Korea’s Soyeong Jeong.

In Para Archery Men’s Individual Compound Ranking Round, Nathan Macqueen placed 6th with a score of 696, a season best.

Day 2 Preview

Stephen McGuire is back in action in the Men’s Individual BC4 Boccia, this time taking on Ukraine’s Artem Kolinko in the next preliminary round. In the Women’s Individual BC2 Boccia second preliminary round, Kayleigh Haggo will compete against Portugal’s Ana Correia. Patrick Wilson faces his next preliminary round in the Men’s Individual BC3 Boccia, taking on Australia’s Daniel Michel.

Cyclist Fin Graham will take on his first event, competing in the Men’s C3 3000m Individual Pursuit Qualifying race at the National Velodrome with chances of qualifying for the medal races later in the day. Also in the Velodrome, Scottish cyclist Jenny Holl will pilot Sophie Unwin in the Women’s B 1000m Time Trial Qualifiers.

Martin Perry and William Bayley face their Men’s Doubles Para Table Tennis MD14 Quarterfinals with chances of progressing to the semifinals.

The summer of sport isn’t over, as this week the 2024 Paralympic Games begin with 21 Scottish athletes competing as part of Paralympics GB in Paris, France.  

Nathan Macqueen, a multiple medalilst at European and World level, made his Paralympic debut at Rio 2016. He will compete in both the Men’s Individual and Mixed Team Compound archery events. 

T53 1500m World Record holder Sammi Kinghorn MBE is part of Paralympics GB’s Athletics cohort, joined by T20 1500m Para Athletics World Championships gold medalist Ben Sandilands and Melanie Woods who made her Paralympics debut at Tokyo 2020. 

Robyn Love and Jodie Waite have been selected as part of the Wheelchair Basketball team. Love was part of the Rio 2016 squad that took 4^th for Paralympics GB’s best ever result, whilst Waite will make her Paralympics debut at Paris 2024. 

Three Scots have been selected as part of Paralympics GB’s Boccia contingent. Kayleigh Haggo will make her Paralympics debut in the sport after switching from athletics in 2022, joining Patrick Wilson, who made his Paralympics debut at Rio 2016, and Stephen McGuire who competed in his first Games at London 2012. 

Para Canoeist Hope Gordon will compete in her first summer Paralympics Games after making her Winter Paralympics debut in 2022 in Para Nordic Skiing.  

Seasoned Paralympian Neil Fachie OBE will return to the velodrome to compete in his fifth Games, with Fin Graham taking part in the Road Cycling racing in his second Paralympics. Jenny Holl will also compete as pilot for track cyclist Sophie Unwin, with hopes of replicating their Tokyo 2020 medal success. 

Four Scottish swimmers will compete as part of Paralympics GB. Stephen Clegg, who won two bronze medals and one silver medal at Tokyo 2020, will return to the pool along with fellow Tokyo Paralympian Toni Shaw, who will look to add to the bronze she secured at those Games. S10 100m Butterfly World Champion Faye Rogers will make her Paralympic debut in Paris, joined by Louis Lawlor who will compete in his second Games.  

Martin Perry will make his Paralympics debut competing in both the Men’s Singles and Doubles table tennis events. Over on the tennis courts, Paralympic gold, silver and bronze medalist Gordon Reid (pictured above) will compete in his fifth Games in the Men’s Wheelchair Singles and Doubles. 

Finally, Scottish Para Triathlete Alison Peasgood and her guide Brooke Gillies have been selected as part of Paralympics GB, competing in the Women’s PTVI event. 

The full list of Scottish Paralympic athletes competing at Paris 2024 can be found below. 

Archery  
Nathan Macqueen 

Athletics  
Sammi Kinghorn, Ben Sandilands, Melanie Woods 

Basketball 
Robyn Love, Jodie Waite 

Boccia 
Kayleigh Haggo, Patrick Wilson, Stephen McGuire 

Canoe 
Hope Gordon 

Cycling 
Neil Fachie, Fin Graham, Jenny Holl (pilot) 

Swimming 
Stephen Clegg, Toni Shaw, Louis Lawlor, Faye Rogers 

Table Tennis  
Martin Perry 

Tennis 
Gordon Reid 

Triathlon 
Alison Peasgood, Brooke Gillies (guide) 

Everyone at Commonwealth Games Scotland would like to congratulate Elinor Middlemiss, who has been awarded an MBE for services to sport.

Scotland’s highest capped female Badminton player of all-time, Elinor represented Team Scotland at five Commonwealth Games winning a Women’s Doubles bronze medal with Sandra Watt in 1998 and Team bronze in 2002. 

She led Team Scotland to our best medal tally at a Games outside Scotland last year as Chef de Mission for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, and has been appointed Chef for the 2026 Games.

She currently serves as Commonwealth Games Scotland’s Head of Games Operations and had previously served as Deputy Chef de Mission at both Glasgow 2014 and Gold Coast 2018.

When appointed to the Chef de Mission role for Birmingham 2022, she became the first woman in this post since the Games began in 1930, and the first former Commonwealth Games athlete to lead the Scottish team since Sir Peter Heatly in 1978.

Elinor said: “I am delighted to receive this title.

“It has been an honour to represent Scotland, both as an athlete and off the court.

“Everything at Commonwealth Games Scotland is a team effort, and this recognition is the result of the collective hard work of team-mates and colleagues down the years.”

We would also like to congratulate Bob Christie, Lead Coach for our all-conquering Para Lawn Bowls team for Birmingham 2022, and Stuart Hogg, who featured for Team Scotland at Glasgow 2014, who have also both been awarded MBEs.

Elinor Middlemiss has been appointed as Team Scotland’s Chef de Mission for the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games.  

Middlemiss will lead Team Scotland for a second Games, following a highly successful Birmingham 2022 which saw the team celebrate their best medal tally ever at a Games outside Scotland.  She currently serves as Commonwealth Games Scotland’s Head of Games Operations and had previously served as Deputy Chef de Mission at both Glasgow 2014 and Gold Coast 2018. 

Scotland’s highest capped female Badminton player of all-time, Elinor represented Team Scotland at five Commonwealth Games winning a Women’s Doubles bronze medal with Sandra Watt in 1998 and Team bronze in 2002.  

When appointed to the Chef de Mission role for Birmingham 2022, she became the first woman in this post since the Games began in 1930, and the first former Commonwealth Games athlete to lead the Scottish team since Sir Peter Heatly in 1978. 

Elinor Middlemiss, Team Scotland Chef de Mission, Victoria 2026, said: 

“I’m honoured to have been asked to take on the role of Chef de Mission for a second time at Victoria 2026. I’m very much looking forward to the journey over the next three years and making it a memorable and successful experience for every member of the team. 

“I had an excellent team around me in Birmingham and building that strong group of Team Management will be key again for Victoria 2026.” 

Paul Bush OBE, Chair of Commonwealth Games Scotland said:  

“I am delighted to welcome Elinor back to the Chef de Mission role for Victoria 2026. The planning for an overseas Games will, of course, be very different to a Games close to home in Birmingham, something of which Elinor has valuable experience. What does not change is the commitment to ensuring our athletes are given the best possible preparation and the right environment in which to excel.” 

The 2026 Commonwealth Games will be held in five regional hubs across the State of Victoria, Australia from 17-29 March. 

Team Scotland is delighted to announce that we will be represented across all seven sports at this year’s Trinbago 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games, following confirmation of team sport participation.

Invites were accepted from the Commonwealth Games Federation for Scottish
participants in the Women’s Beach Volleyball, Netball and Men’s Rugby 7s, with those team sports joining young Scottish athletes in Athletics, Cycling, Swimming and Triathlon.

Having begun in Edinburgh in 2000, the seventh edition of the Youth Games will take place from 4-11 August this year in Trinidad and Tobago, with seven sports split across the two islands. All three team sports will take place on Tobago along with Triathlon, with the rest on Trinidad.

Trinbago 2023 will see the first appearance of a Scottish Men’s Rugby 7s team at a Youth Games since the Isle of Man Games in 2011. Several players from that team went on to represent Team Scotland at a senior Games including Birmingham 2022 captain Jamie Farndale, who took on the same role for the Youth Games side in 2011. Scotland will face Trinidad and Tobago, Canada, Jamaica, Fiji and South Africa in the 6-team tournament this summer.

Beach Volleyball made its Youth Games debut at the last edition, Bahamas 2017, where Emma Waldie and Jennifer Lee took 4th place. It is set for its second appearance at Trinbago 2023, with a 12- team tournament taking place at Pigeon Point Beach, including all three medal winning nations from 2017: Australia, New Zealand and Rwanda.

Netball makes its Youth Games debut in a Fast 5 format with five players to a side, shorter quarters, power plays, and super shots. Team Scotland will be one of eight teams taking to the courts at Tobago Shaw Park Cultural Complex alongside hosts Trinidad and Tobago, Australia, England, South Africa, Botswana, Canada and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Team Scotland Chef de Mission, Chris Purdie said: “I am delighted that we have received and accepted invitations from Trinbago 2023 to compete in Beach Volleyball, Netball and Rugby 7s, meaning Team Scotland will be represented in all seven sports on the programme.

“The team sports bring a special dimension to the team and we hope that the opportunity to experience a multi-sport Games will be an important part in the development for all athletes selected.”

Individual athlete selection for all three team sports and the four individual sports will be made over the coming months.

Four-time Commonwealth Games medallist Aileen McGlynn has announced her retirement from cycling after 20 years competing at the top level.

The 49 year old has called time on a stellar career that saw her win seven Paralympic Games medals and a host of World titles, set numerous world records and be awarded an OBE for Services to Disability Sport, in addition to her Commonwealth Games success.

Winning gold and silver in her first Paralympic Games in Athens 2004, double gold at the 2008 Paralympic Games and silver and bronze at the 2012 Games in London, she completed her Paralympic tally with silver at Tokyo 2020 after some time away from the sport.

Double silver medallist at Glasgow 2014 with pilot Louise Haston, Aileen paired up with Louise once again for her second Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, finishing 3rd in both the Time Trial and the Sprint (although only gold medals were awarded).

Her final races came in Team Scotland colours at Birmingham 2022 last summer, where she took silver in the Sprint and bronze in the Time Trial with pilot Ellie Stone, a fitting end to a glittering career.

“I’ve been doing this for 20 years, and at some point you’ve got to move on and do other things,” she said.

“I feel like I’ve achieved everything I wanted to in cycling – the opportunity to come back and do a really good time in Tokyo and win a silver medal, I could have finished my career at that point.

“A year out from Tokyo they announced that there was going to be tandem events in Birmingham, but when I got dropped from the British Cycling team again in December 2021, I was seriously considering not doing the Commonwealth Games. I really had to push to get use of a UKSI tandem, so that we were on an even keel with the other home nations, so that played a big part – I didn’t want to do it just to be there, to finish on a low after everything I’ve done.

“I’m pretty pleased and proud of what I’ve achieved. I’m particularly pleased that I’ve carried on to the age of 49 and broken down barriers in terms of age. Riding with Ellie [Stone], she was a really good pilot, so it all came together really well in Birmingham and it was a great way to finish. Birmingham was really special, with great teammates.”

Photo credit: Jeff Holmes

Following his role as General Team Manager at Birmingham 2022, Chris Purdie, has been appointed as Chef de Mission for Team Scotland at the Trinbago 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games.

Head of Competitions at Scottish Student Sport, Chris brings a wealth of experience of major multi-sport Games. In addition to his General Team Manager role, leading on Team Services for Team Scotland at Birmingham 2022, he has been involved in three World University Games. He will lead the British team in January 2023 as Chef de Mission at the World University Winter Games in Lake Placid, USA having served as Deputy Chef de Mission in 2019.

Chris will be responsible for the overall leadership, motivation and unity of the team at Trinbago 2023 and is keen to share his extensive sporting experience with the next generation of Team Scotland athletes.

“It’s a huge honour to lead Team Scotland at the Games in Trinidad and Tobago next year,” he said.

“To have the opportunity to work with young athletes on their performance journey is something I am extremely passionate about and there is something wonderfully unique about representing Scotland at a multi-sport Games. The Commonwealth Games and Youth Games are the only opportunity to do this and, having experienced it once before, I’m eager to provide a truly rich experience for both athletes competing and support staff at next year’s Games.”

Welcoming Chris to the position, Jon Doig OBE, CGS Chief Executive said: “We are delighted to appoint someone of Chris’s standing to lead Team Scotland at next year’s Commonwealth Youth Games. He was a great asset to the team at Birmingham 2022 and his extensive experience of multi-sport events stands him in great stead to deliver a positive Games experience for our young athletes.”

The seventh Commonwealth Youth Games will be held in Trinidad and Tobago from 4-11 August 2023 following a gap of six years since the last edition in the Bahamas in 2017 due to the global pandemic. Team Scotland anticipates sending a team to compete in four sports (Athletics, Cycling, Swimming and Triathlon) with potential additional representation in Beach Volleyball, Netball and Rugby 7s still to be confirmed.

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), the state of Victoria and Commonwealth Games Australia have announced the addition of Golf, 3×3 Basketball, 3×3 Wheelchair Basketball, Coastal Rowing, Shooting, Shooting Para Sport, BMX Racing, Mountain Bike Cross Country, Track Cycling and Para Cycling to the sports programme for the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games.

The announcement brings the full sports programme to 26 disciplines across 20 sports and marks a Commonwealth Games debut for Coastal Rowing, Golf, and BMX.

Victoria 2026 is also proposing to add in Para disciplines in Golf, Coastal Rowing and the Road Race and will work with the Commonwealth Games Federation and relevant international sporting federations to determine if this is possible.

Shepparton, two hours north of Melbourne, will host a suite of cycling events – staging both men’s and women’s time trials for the road race, as well as the BMX Racing competition, with the full program of event locations to be announced in the coming weeks.

The sport programme for Victoria 2026 now includes 20 sports, the highest number of any Games to date. The full list of sports on the programme is:

Aquatics (Swimming, Para Swimming & Diving)

Athletics & Para Athletics

Badminton

3×3 Basketball, 3×3 Wheelchair Basketball

Boxing

Beach Volleyball

Coastal Rowing

Cricket T20 (Women’s)

Cycling (BMX, Mountain Bike, Road, Track & Para Track)

Golf

Gymnastics (Artistic)

Hockey

Lawn Bowls & Para Lawn Bowls

Netball

Rugby Sevens

Shooting & Shooting Para Sport

Squash

Table Tennis & Para Table Tennis

Triathlon & Para Triathlon

Weightlifting & Para Powerlifting

James Heatly and Grace Reid dove into the history books as the first Commonwealth Games champions in the Mixed Synchronised 3m Springboard event, their gold Team Scotland’s 50th medal of Birmingham 2022.

It was also Aquatics’ thirteenth medal of the Games, the highest medal tally for the sport from any Commonwealth Games, beating the 12 won in Melbourne back in 2006.

Diving first and with the scores close across a number of teams, Heatly and Reid had a long wait to see their position confirmed. Finishing strongly on a forward 3 ½ somersaults pike the pair scored 74.00, giving them a total points tally of 306.00, just under two points clear of Shixin Li and Maddison Keeney of Australia in silver and seven ahead of Malaysia’s bronze medallists Muhammad Puteh and Mur Sabri.

Danny Mabbott and Clara Kerr finished tenth overall in the same event, while Angus Menmuir and Gemma McArthur were also in action in the Mixed Synchronised 10m Platform final, finishing seventh.

Greg Lobban and Rory Stewart won bronze in the men’s squash doubles after an excellent 2-0 victory over Eain Yow Ng and Chee Wern Yuen of Malaysia. The Scots took the first game 11-10 in what was a tight and competitive contest, then they stepped up a notch and won the second game 11-6. Stewart struck the winning shot, a tremendous backhand effort, to claim a first medal since 1998 for squash.

It brought Team Scotland’s final Birmingham 2022 medal tally to 51 with 13 gold, 11 silver and 27 bronze, a record tally for a Games outside Scotland and only two shy of Glasgow 2014’s tally of 53.