2026 Commonwealth Games Open in Glasgow, Smallest Edition in Decades

Due to host changes and budget constraints, the 2026 Games have been scaled down to just 10 core disciplines, including athletics, swimming, boxing and weightlifting.

This is the 23rd edition of the Commonwealth Games, which was first held in 1930.

The party pauses for a moment as the Commonwealth Games Oaths take centre stage.

Paul Foster MBE speaks on behalf of the athletes, Robyn Love represents the coaches, and Leslie Roy MBE delivers the pledge for the volunteers, setting the tone for the competition ahead.

The Commonwealth Sport flag is then carried in by athletes from across the continents and para-sport before being handed to the armed forces for a perfectly choreographed march.

A little more marching than dancing... not everyone's cup of Irn-Bru, perhaps, but tradition is tradition.

Athletics is expected to play a defining role in India's Commonwealth Games campaign. India has fielded the maximum permitted 32-member athletics squad, the largest contingent among all disciplines, for the competition. The team will compete across 22 medal events and is expected to contribute significantly to India's medal tally.

At the forefront is two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra, but India will also look towards high jumper Sarvesh Kushare, long jumper Murali Sreeshankar, triple jumper Praveen Chithravel, and both the men's and women's 4x400m relay teams for podium finishes. Athletics produced eight medals for India at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, although matching that total may prove more difficult this time because of stronger international competition. With several traditional medal sports absent from the programme, India's athletics squad will carry greater expectations than ever before throughout the Games.

India begin their Commonwealth Games campaign aiming to extend a remarkable record of finishing inside the top five of the medals table, something the country has achieved at every edition since Manchester 2002. This year's challenge, however, is expected to be much tougher because several medal-rich sports are missing from the programme.

Wrestling, badminton, table tennis and shooting, disciplines that contributed heavily to India's success in Birmingham four years ago, are not part of this edition. Those four sports alone accounted for 25 of India's 61 medals in 2022. Their absence means India will need strong performances from athletes in the remaining sports to stay among the leading nations. Athletics, boxing and weightlifting are expected to shoulder most of the responsibility as India looks to maintain its impressive Commonwealth Games record despite a reduced number of medal opportunities.

The 2026 Commonwealth Games officially begin today in Glasgow, marking the start of what is set to be the smallest edition of the event in more than three decades. The opening ceremony at the OVO Hydro will welcome around 3,000 athletes representing 74 Commonwealth nations.

Unlike previous editions, the Games will feature only 10 sports across four venues, making this a much leaner competition. Six of those sports will also include para events, underlining the organisers' effort to deliver an inclusive Games.

Glasgow stepped in as host after Australia's Victoria state withdrew in 2023 because of rising costs, putting the future of the event in doubt. Having successfully organised the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the Scottish city has once again taken on the challenge, this time using only existing venues and infrastructure while operating on a budget of around 160 million pounds, significantly lower than Birmingham 2022.