New, trimmed-down Games format leaves old favourites struggling for survival
Hockey and netball are among the sports jostling for inclusion in the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, with only 10 set to make the cut in the slimmed-down event.
The Australian Commonwealth Games Association (CGA), headed by Craig Phillips, will meet with the heads of 22 sports on Friday following confirmation that Scotland will host the event in two yearsā time.
With the Games funded by compensation paid by the Victorian government, which pulled out last year citing spiralling costs, Glasgow will be the site of a pared-down festival ā with, basically, half the 19 sports in Birmingham, England, in 2022.
While Phillips sits on the executive board of the Commonwealth Games Federation, he said that, as Australia were no longer hosts, they would have no input into which sports would take part.
Glasgow intend the event to be staged at four existing venues, which Phillips said gave a strong indication to what sports that may be.
He said the CGA planned to keep the 22 sports under their umbrella regardless of whether they were part of the Glasgow program, although didnāt commit to the same funding level.
āWeāre a member-based organisation with 22 member sports and weāll obviously be disappointed for any that arenāt on the program,ā Phillips said.
You might like
āOnce we get a confirmed program, we will then work with our member sports in terms of how they stay as part of our family ā¦ but also what that means from a funding perspective.
āItās a bit early yet to be able to tell you what that looks like.ā
Swimming and athletics are the only guarantees, while track cycling is also a lock given one of the venues has a velodrome.
Rugby sevens could get the nod given track and field will be held at Scotstoun Stadium, which is the home of rugby club Glasgow Warriors.
Badminton, boxing, judo, table tennis, gymnastics, netball and weightlifting could all be contested at the indoor venues.
Cricket, reintroduced at the 2022 Games, is likely to be axed.
Stay informed, daily
The Glasgow Green Hockey Centre, which was constructed for the last Commonwealth Games held in the city, was not listed among the four venues.
But with the sport popular in Commonwealth countries such as Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Malaysia and South Africa, Hockey Australia boss David Pryles hoped Games organisers would see the appeal.
He said he hadnāt been advised if hockey, who produced Australiaās last two Games flag-bearers, would get the nod.
āI donāt think many sports have yet, it was a matter of trying to get it over the line,ā Pryles told AAP.
āWeāll speak to the CGA in the coming days.
āWeāve got a proud history at the Comm Games ā the Kookaburras have won every gold medal and Hockeyroos have never missed a medal.ā
After no medals in Paris, Pryles said the Commonwealth Games was key to their preparation for the Los Angeles Olympics.
āYou want to get as close to what you see at the Olympics and thatās what the Comm Games is from a scheduling perspective.
āThere is strong correlation, not just in hockey, of athletes doing well in a Comm Games and transferring that to an Olympics.
āAnd in hockey I know coaches like that format ā games every day or every second day; tournament focus, under pressure.ā
Netball Australia chief executive Stacey West said she hoped the Diamonds would get a chance to defend their crown.
āWith four gold medals since 1998, Australia is the most successful netball nation at the Commonwealth Games so it is a special event for all Australian netball-lovers,ā West said.
Want to see more stories from InDaily Qld in your Google search results?
- Click here to set InDaily Qld as a preferred source.
- Tick the box next to "InDaily Qld". That's it.
