9 Major sports left out as 2026 Commonwealth Games scaled down in Glasgow
Glasgow stepped in after Australian state Victoria withdrew last year but a number of events won't take placed, including diving, which has featured in each of the 12 editions of the Games since the inaugural event in 1930
by Jamie Gardner · The MirrorHockey, squash and diving are among the sports which will not feature in the scaled-down 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
The Scottish city stepped into the breach after the Australian state of Victoria withdrew last year and its hosting has now been officially confirmed by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), along with the 10 sports which will feature. Athletics and swimming are included as compulsory sports alongside track cycling, gymnastics, netball, weightlifting, boxing, judo, bowls and 3×3 basketball.
There will also be integrated para events in six of those sports – athletics, swimming, track cycling, weightlifting, bowls and basketball. Among the sports missing out compared to the 2022 Games in Birmingham are archery, triathlon, diving, hockey, T20 cricket, squash, badminton, rowing and rugby sevens.
Diving has featured in each of the 12 editions of the Games since the inaugural event in 1930, while hockey and squash have been included in every Games since 1998.
All the sport will be hosted across four venues within an eight-mile corridor – the Scotstoun Stadium, Tollcross International Swimming Centre, the Emirates Arena, including the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, and the Scottish Event Campus (SEC). The CGF says the estimated 3,000 athletes who will compete, plus support staff, will be housed in hotels during the Games.
The CGF confirmed the event would run from July 23 to August 2, 2026, and said it would bring £100million in inward investment to the city, with Games delivery not requiring any public funding.
CGF chief executive Katie Sadleir said the Glasgow Games would be “an exciting first step in our journey to reset and redefine the Games as a truly collaborative, flexible and sustainable model for the future”.
She said the new approach to hosting was to minimise cost, reduce environmental footprint and enhance social impact. Sadleir said she hoped this would “increase the scope of countries capable of hosting”.
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Since 2014, when Glasgow hosted for the first time, only the United Kingdom and Australia have staged the Games, with Victoria’s withdrawal following the decision by the CGF to strip the South African city of Durban of its right to host the 2022 Games amid financial concerns.
Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) first announced its “cost effective” proposal for hosting in April. Its chief executive Jon Doig said: “Glasgow 2026 will have all the drama, passion and joy that we know the Commonwealth Games delivers, even if it is to be lighter and leaner than some previous editions.
“It will be more accessible, delivered on a smaller footprint which brings our fans closer to the sporting action.
“The Commonwealth Games has a special place in the hearts of athletes around the globe and we’re really looking forward to welcoming them, their support staff and fans from all four corners of the Commonwealth to experience the famous Scottish and Glasgow hospitality. It is an exciting moment for the city and the country.”
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