The Commonwealth Games will make a surprise return to Glasgow in 2026 just 12 years after the city last hosted the event, it was confirmed today.
But the sporting extravaganza will be a scaled-back affair with fewer athletes expected to descend on the city to compete in only 10 sports.
Scotstoun Stadium – and not Hampden Park – will host all track and field events while Tollcross will be used for swimming races.
The next edition of the Games was supposed to be hosted in Australia but local organisers pulled the plug in a row over costs.
It forced Games bosses to turn to Scotland where much of the sporting infrastructure required for the event is already in place.
Speculation has mounted for months that Glasgow would be named host city again but confirmation was delayed as the Scottish Government sought assurances from organisers over costs.
SNP ministers at Holyrood have been forced to make brutal cuts in public spending this year but an agreement has now been reached over funding for the Games.
The Scottish Government signed-off on bringing back the event at a Cabinet meeting chaired by John Swinney this morning.
Neil Gray, the Health Secretary, said ministers had conducted a “thorough assessment” of a plan put forward by Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) for bringing the event back.
He said: “Scotland, and in particular Glasgow, has built a track record of succesful event delivery.
“It is because Glasgow is a world-class event hosting destination, with the facilities and expertise required to deliver such an event as the Commonwealth Games, that we are able to proceed.
“Glasgow will deliver a world-class sporting event which will reimagine the Commonwealth Games for future generations.
“In return, this proposal will bring economic benefit to businesses and support a programme of capital upgrades to a number of existing venues in Glasgow.”
In a bid to keep costs down, the 2026 Games won’t feature any running or cycling events that require public roads to be closed – meaning no marathon will take place.
Hampden was ruled out as a venue for athletics on cost grounds, meaning the much smaller Scotstoun ground in the west end of the city will be used instead.
Swimming events will again be hosted at Tollcross International Swim Centre in the city’s east end.
Kate Forbes, the Deputy First Minister, had earlier hinted at the Games’ return to Glasgow.
“The Commonwealth Games, I would hope, would be something that we’re all invested in, right across the country, beyond parliament, so it is important that other MSPs can scrutinise that decision prior to the media scrutinising it,” she said.
The multi-sport event is held every four years across Commonwealth countries, with Birmingham the most recent host city in 2022. Edinburgh hosted the Games in 1970 and 1986.
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