Commonwealth Games 2026 — Glasgow

Overview

• Officially the XXIII Commonwealth Games, held 23 July – 2 August 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland.
• Fourth Commonwealth Games hosted in Scotland (after Edinburgh 1970, 1986; Glasgow 2014).
• First Games since Queen Elizabeth II's death — King Charles III is Head of the Commonwealth.
• First edition since Donald Rukare became president of Commonwealth Sport.
• A scaled-down, low-cost Games: 10 sports, 7 venues, no athletes' village.

How Glasgow Became Host

Original host withdrew

• Victoria, Australia was awarded the Games in April 2022 (unanimous vote).
• Victoria withdrew on 18 July 2023 as costs escalated to an estimated A$6–7 billion, roughly double projected economic benefits.
• Gold Coast briefly considered co-hosting, then also withdrew.

Search for a new host

• London and Scotland expressed early interest; the UK government ruled out a "UK rescue" (Dec 2023).
• Malaysia was offered ~£100 million by the CGF but declined (March 2024) — cost concerns and a clash risk with the 2027 SEA Games.
• Singapore explored a joint bid with Malaysia, then withdrew (April 2024).
• Ghana expressed interest in April 2024 after hosting the 2023 African Games.

Glasgow confirmed

• Glasgow emerged as the "last possibility" from April 2024.
• Agreement reported 11 August 2024; formally confirmed 17 September 2024.
• Funded mainly by AU$200 million compensation Victoria paid for withdrawing, plus CGF/commercial funding — no significant public money required.
• Glasgow bid received a unanimous vote.

Ceremonies

• Opening Ceremony — 23 July 2026, OVO Hydro: first Commonwealth Games ceremony ever held fully indoors. Headliner: KT Tunstall, with Callum Beattie, Nina Nesbitt, Nathan Evans, Saint Phnx; Valtos scored the Parade of Nations. King Charles III, the Queen, the UK PM and Scotland's First Minister attended.
• Closing Ceremony — 2 August 2026, also OVO Hydro. Headliner: Simple Minds, with BEMZ, Cammy Barnes, Sandi Thom, and Delta Goodrem (her third Commonwealth ceremony appearance). Formal handover to 2030 host Ahmedabad, India, featured Shankar Mahadevan and Rashmika Mandanna.

Participation

• All 74 Commonwealth Games Associations took part.
• Gabon and Togo made their Commonwealth Games debuts (joined the Commonwealth in June 2022).

Largest delegations

Rank

CGA

Athletes

1

Australia

257

2

England

204

3

Scotland (host)

177

4

Canada

149

5

India

122

6

Wales

114

7

New Zealand

113

8

South Africa

112

Medal Table (Top 10)

Rank

CGA

Gold

Silver

Bronze

Total

1

Australia

70

45

56

171

2

England

29

45

36

110

3

Canada

19

21

23

63

4

India

13

17

9

39

5

Scotland (host)

13

9

17

39

6

New Zealand

10

13

12

35

7

Nigeria

10

7

7

24

8

Jamaica

10

4

5

19

9

Wales

9

10

12

31

10

Malaysia

8

3

5

16

Sports Programme

• Only 10 sports contested — the fewest since 1994, due to the compressed timeline for organising the Games.
• Athletics and swimming were the only two compulsory sports.
• Sports included: 3x3 Basketball (+ wheelchair), Artistic Gymnastics, Athletics (+ para), Bowls (+ para, indoor format), Boxing, Judo, Netball, Swimming (+ para), Track Cycling (+ para), Weightlifting, Para Powerlifting.
• Only netball and 3x3 basketball were retained as full-sided team sports.
• Dropped vs. previous Games: badminton, beach volleyball, T20 cricket, diving, hockey, mountain biking, rhythmic gymnastics, road cycling, rugby sevens, squash, table tennis (& para), triathlon (& para), wrestling.
• Largest-ever Para sport programme at a Commonwealth Games: 47 finals across 6 sports (athletics, track cycling, 3x3 wheelchair basketball, swimming, bowls, powerlifting).

Notable programme changes

• Athletics: added mixed 4x400m relay; revived the Mile (last held 1966), contested by women for the first time ever.
• Basketball: 3x3 standing teams up to 12 per gender; wheelchair women's teams increased to 8.
• Bowls: moved indoors (not lawn bowls); events cut from 11 to 7 (triples and fours removed).
• Cycling: mountain biking & road events dropped, but total events held at 26; elimination race added; para events doubled from 4 to 8.
• Swimming: events increased from 52 to 54, adding men's 800m and women's 1500m freestyle.

India at the 2026 Commonwealth Games

• India competed at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, held 23 July – 2 August 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland.
• This was India's 19th appearance since its debut at the 1934 Commonwealth Games.
• The Indian contingent consisted of 122 athletes, competing across 10 sports.
• Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu was India's flag-bearer and boxer Lovlina Borgohain was the baton-bearer at the Opening Ceremony.
• Boxer Jaismine Lamboria was India's flag-bearer at the Closing Ceremony.
• India won a total of 39 medals — 13 gold, 17 silver, and 9 bronze — finishing 4th in the overall medal table.
• India won a record 10 medals (7 gold) in boxing — the most medals ever won by any nation in boxing at a single Commonwealth Games.
• Judo was also India's best-ever showing: the country won its first-ever judo gold medals (3 medals in total, including 2 golds).
• Mirabai Chanu won her third Commonwealth Games gold medal, becoming only the second Indian athlete to win gold at three consecutive Games.
• Gulveer Singh was India's only multiple medallist, winning a silver and a bronze in athletics — the first Indian track and field athlete to win two individual medals at a single Commonwealth Games.

Background

• The 2026 Commonwealth Games was the 23rd edition of the Games.
• Indian para-athletes recorded their best-ever performance, winning 7 medals including 3 golds.

Key highlights

• Weightlifting: Mirabai Chanu won India's first gold in the women's 48 kg category. She became the second Indian woman athlete (after wrestler Vinesh Phogat) to win gold at three consecutive Commonwealth Games.
• Judo: Asmita Dey and Harsh Singh won India's first-ever gold medals in judo.
• Athletics: Gulveer Singh won silver in the men's 10,000m and bronze in the 5,000m. Tejaswin Shankar won India's first-ever decathlon medal (bronze).

Medallists

Medal

Name

Sport

Event

Date

Gold

Mirabai Chanu

Weightlifting

Women's 48 kg

26 Jul 2026

Gold

Sharmila Dhankad

Athletics

Women's Shot Put F57

27 Jul 2026

Gold

Dilip Gavit

Athletics

Men's 100m T47

29 Jul 2026

Gold

Asmita Dey

Judo

Women's 48 kg

31 Jul 2026

Gold

Harsh Singh

Judo

Men's 60 kg

31 Jul 2026

Gold

Preeti Pawar

Boxing

Women's 54 kg

1 Aug 2026

Gold

Jaismine Lamboria

Boxing

Women's 57 kg

1 Aug 2026

Gold

Soman Rana

Athletics

Men's Shot Put F57

1 Aug 2026

Gold

Sakshi Chaudhary

Boxing

Women's 51 kg

1 Aug 2026

Gold

Priya Ghanghas

Boxing

Women's 60 kg

1 Aug 2026

Gold

Arundhati Choudhary

Boxing

Women's 70 kg

1 Aug 2026

Gold

Sachin Siwach

Boxing

Men's 60 kg

1 Aug 2026

Gold

Ankush Panghal

Boxing

Men's 80 kg

1 Aug 2026

Silver

Rishikanta Singh Chanambam

Weightlifting

Men's 60 kg

26 Jul 2026

Silver

Muthupandi Raja

Weightlifting

Men's 65 kg

26 Jul 2026

Silver

Gyaneshwari Yadav

Weightlifting

Women's 53 kg

27 Jul 2026

Silver

Sarvesh Kushare

Athletics

Men's High Jump

27 Jul 2026

Silver

Ajay Babu Vallury

Weightlifting

Men's 79 kg

27 Jul 2026

Silver

Harjinder Kaur

Weightlifting

Women's 69 kg

28 Jul 2026

Silver

Gulveer Singh

Athletics

Men's 10,000m

28 Jul 2026

Silver

Murali Sreeshankar

Athletics

Men's Long Jump

29 Jul 2026

Silver

Mohammed Basil

Athletics

Men's 100m T47

29 Jul 2026

Silver

Lovepreet Singh

Weightlifting

Men's +110 kg

30 Jul 2026

Silver

Yamini Maurya

Judo

Women's 57 kg

31 Jul 2026

Silver

Neeraj Chopra

Athletics

Men's Javelin Throw

31 Jul 2026

Silver

Praveen Chithravel

Athletics

Men's Triple Jump

1 Aug 2026

Silver

Jadumani Singh Mandengbam

Boxing

Men's 55 kg

1 Aug 2026

Silver

Shubham Juyal

Athletics

Men's Shot Put F57

1 Aug 2026

Silver

Lovlina Borgohain

Boxing

Women's 75 kg

1 Aug 2026

Silver

Narender Berwal

Boxing

Men's +90 kg

1 Aug 2026

Bronze

Jhandu Kumar

Para Powerlifting

Men's Heavyweight

24 Jul 2026

Bronze

Bindyarani Devi Sorokhaibam

Weightlifting

Women's 58 kg

27 Jul 2026

Bronze

Shilpa Shayla

Athletics

Women's Shot Put F57

27 Jul 2026

Bronze

Seema Kaliramna

Athletics

Women's Discus Throw

30 Jul 2026

Bronze

Tejaswin Shankar

Athletics

Men's Decathlon

31 Jul 2026

Bronze

Yashveer Singh

Athletics

Men's Javelin Throw

31 Jul 2026

Bronze

Selva Prabhu Thirumaran

Athletics

Men's Triple Jump

1 Aug 2026

Bronze

Unnati Sharma

Judo

Women's 63 kg

1 Aug 2026

Bronze

Gulveer Singh

Athletics

Men's 5,000m

1 Aug 2026

Multiple Medallist

Name

Sport

Gold

Silver

Bronze

Total

Gulveer Singh

Athletics

0

1

1

2

Gold Medallist Profiles

Mirabai Chanu — Weightlifting

• First gold: Saikhom Mirabai Chanu won India's first gold medal of the Games on 26 July 2026 in the women's 48 kg category.
• Hat-trick of golds: She lifted a total of 190 kg to win gold at three consecutive Commonwealth Games (2018, 2022, 2026) — a historic hat-trick.
• New Games records: She set new Commonwealth Games records in the Snatch, Clean & Jerk, and total weight categories.

Sharmila Dhankad — Para-Athletics

• Historic gold: Won India's first-ever gold medal in a Commonwealth Games para-athletics (track and field) event, in the women's F57 shot put.
• Winning throw: Topped the podium with a season's-best throw of 9.81 m.
• Inspiring journey: Achieved this landmark at age 40, having overcome childhood polio and numerous personal and family challenges.

Dilip Gavit — Para-Athletics

• Background: Born 21 April 2003 in Nashik, Maharashtra; competes in the T47 category (upper-limb impairment/below-elbow amputation).
• 2026 Commonwealth Games (Glasgow): Won gold in the men's 100m T47 with a new Games record of 10.71 seconds.
• 2022 Asian Para Games (Hangzhou): Won gold in the 400m T47 (also India's 100th medal at that edition).
• Paris 2024 Paralympics: Represented India and reached the men's 400m T47 final.

Asmita Dey — Judo

• Historic gold: Won gold in the women's 48 kg category, creating history.
• First judo gold: India's first-ever gold medal in judo at the Commonwealth Games.
• Thrilling final: Defeated Canada's Heidi Quach 2-1 in a closely fought Golden Score period.

Harsh Singh — Judo

• Historic gold: Won gold in the men's 60 kg category — India's first-ever men's judo gold at the Commonwealth Games.
• Thrilling final: Defeated Australian Olympian Joshua Katz with an Ippon just 41 seconds before the match ended.
• Historic 'double gold': Asmita Dey (women's 48 kg) and Harsh Singh (men's 60 kg) won gold on the same day — India's first judo 'double gold' at the CWG.
• Career: A rising top-tier judoka on the IJF circuit, having represented India at national championships and Asian junior/senior cups.

Preeti Pawar — Boxing

• Historic gold: Won gold in the women's 54 kg (bantamweight) category.
• Dominant final: Defeated Canada's top boxer Scarlet Delgado in a one-sided 5-0 unanimous decision.
• One of India's 7 boxing golds won on 1 August 2026.

Jaismine Lamboria — Boxing

• Historic gold: Won gold in the women's 57 kg (featherweight) category.
• Beat the champion: Defeated Northern Ireland's reigning champion Michaela Walsh by unanimous decision (5-0).
• Inspiring comeback: Returned to the ring with exceptional mental resilience despite being hospitalised with a serious illness just weeks before the Games.

Soman Rana — Para-Athletics

• Historic gold: Subedar Soman Rana won gold in the men's F57 shot put with a best throw of 13.40 m.
• Historic 1-2 finish: Fellow Indian para-athlete Shubham Juyal took silver with 13.28 m — India swept gold and silver in the same event.
• Army connection and valour: A Subedar in the 11 Gorkha Rifles, he lost his right leg below the knee in a landmine blast during an operation on the Line of Control in Poonch (Jammu & Kashmir) in 2006.
• Comeback: Despite the serious injury, he turned to sport and built his career through the Army Paraplegic Sports Node in Pune.

Sakshi Chaudhary — Boxing

• Historic gold: Won gold for India in the women's 51 kg (flyweight) category.
• Dominant final: Defeated England's Ruby White in a one-sided 5-0 unanimous decision.
• Unbeaten campaign: Topped the podium without dropping a round, showcasing excellent reach and precise punching throughout the tournament.
• Background: The 25-year-old hails from Dhanana village in Bhiwani district, Haryana — a stronghold of Indian boxing — and is a two-time Youth World Champion.

Priya Ghanghas — Boxing

• Historic gold: The 20-year-old won gold in the women's 60 kg (lightweight) category.
• Final: Defeated Canada's Marie-Bathol Al-Ahmadiya 4-1 on a split decision in a closely fought bout.
• Quarterfinal: Beat host-nation Scotland's Niamh Mitchell.
• Semifinal: Beat England's Lucy Kings-Wheatley 5-0 by unanimous decision.

Arundhati Choudhary — Boxing

• Historic gold: The 23-year-old from Kota, Rajasthan won gold in the women's 70 kg (light-middleweight) category.
• Dominant final: Defeated England's Chantelle Reid 5-0 by unanimous decision.
• First for Rajasthan: Became the first woman from Rajasthan to win a Commonwealth Games boxing gold.
• Background: A 2021 AIBA Youth World Boxing Champion with a strong national medal record.

Sachin Siwach — Boxing

• Historic gold: Won gold in the men's 60 kg (lightweight) category.
• Close final: Defeated Namibia's experienced boxer Trygen Ndevelo 3-2 on a split decision.
• Background: From Bhiwani, Haryana; a 2016 AIBA Youth World Boxing Champion and a key member of India's men's boxing team.

Ankush Panghal — Boxing

• Historic gold: Won gold in the men's 80 kg (light-heavyweight) category.
• Young champion: Born 13 August 2005, the 20-year-old achieved this in his Commonwealth Games debut.
• India's 7th and final boxing gold of the Games, won on 1 August 2026.
• Background: Has represented India successfully at national and international junior/youth level.

Commonwealth Games 2030

• The next Commonwealth Games (CWG 2030) will be held in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.
• This historic edition will mark the Commonwealth Games' 100th anniversary (Centenary Games).
• It will be the first time the Games return to India since Delhi 2010.

Games details

• Host city: Ahmedabad, India
• Year: 2030
• Key venue: Centred around world-class infrastructure including the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave.
• Sports programme: Expected to expand to 15–17 sports, up from Glasgow 2026's limited 10-sport format.