Scotland’s Glasgow (AP) — Although rugby sevens was invented in Scotland in the 1880s, it will not be played at the redesigned 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Hockey, triathlon, badminton, Twenty20 cricket, squash and diving are among the other sports that have been discontinued.
Ten sports will be offered in the Games across four locations. In addition to track cycling, gymnastics, netball, weightlifting, boxing, judo, bowls, and 3×3 basketball, athletics and swimming are required.
Six of those sports—basketball, track cycling, swimming, weightlifting, bowling, and athletics—will also have integrated para competitions.
Glasgow stepped in when the Australian state of Victoria withdrew last year due to escalating expenses, and the Games will now take place from July 23 to August 2.
Ian Reid, the chairman of Commonwealth Games Scotland, told the BBC on Tuesday that choosing which sports to include was difficult.
“I believe that everyone understands that these events need to be lighter and more affordable. We would have loved to have all of our sports and athletes compete, but it’s just not feasible or affordable at this time,” Reid said.
Hotels will lodge the athletes and support personnel. Athletes from as many as 74 Commonwealth countries and territories are anticipated to compete, totalling over 3,000 individuals and accounting for 2.5 billion people worldwide—a third of the world’s population.
Over 500,000 tickets were distributed to spectators.
“The 2026 Games will be a bridge to the Commonwealth Games of tomorrow, an exciting first step in our journey to reset and redefine the Games as a truly collaborative, flexible, and sustainable model for the future that minimises costs, reduces the environmental footprint, and enhances social impact,” stated Katie Sadleir, chief executive of the Commonwealth Games Federation. By doing this, the number of nations that may host will grow.
At a cost of almost 540 million pounds, Glasgow hosted the event in 2014.
