Q: How many medal events will there be?
A: 215 gold medals will be up for grabs across 10 exhilarating sports, including six Para sports, across 133 sport sessions. Fans will get the chance to see medals being awarded in 51 incredible medal sessions.
Glasgow 2026 will feature the largest ever Para sport programme and biggest Track Cycling and Swimming programmes ever seen at a Commonwealth Games.
On the Athletics track, the infamous Commonwealth Mile will return for the first time since 1966, which is hotly anticipated to be one of the must-see moments of the Games.
We will also see a bolstered 3x3 Basketball and 3x3 Wheelchair Basketball competition.
Q: How were the sports selected?
A: The host nation – Scotland - identifies the sports programme to be included in the Games, alongside two compulsory sports that must be included – Athletics/Para Athletics and Swimming/Para Swimming.
The remaining sports are then chosen based on several factors including CGF Regulation 6 which outlines the criteria they consider when approving a sports programme.
These factors include:
- Universality of participation
- Quality of competition
- Benefit to Games hosts, including local appeal, cost and operational complexity
- Alignment with CGF values
- Creating a balanced programme
For Glasgow 2026 we also took into consideration other key factors including:
- Maintaining manageable total athlete numbers
- Fitting within a small number of existing venues, ideally with established operational plans for sport delivery
- Minimising risks and uncertainty of legislative/planning complications due to the time and budgetary constraints
A sport selection panel considered all factors before making a recommendation to the CGF’s Sport Committee and Executive Board.
Q: What about the sports and athletes not included?
A: We know how much the Commonwealth Games means to athletes and sports, so we naturally understand the disappointment to see that some sports aren’t included.
Whilst there is disappointment for every Games cycle, we know from our engagement with sports that this was the best route towards securing a sustainable future for the Commonwealth Games, and that the sport selection in 2026 will not influence the programme for future Games.