The relaunched Commonwealth Mile will be a highlight with new world record holder Josh Kerr a clear favourite and the flying Scot joked that he could shave even more time off his brand new record
Athletes from around the world have been flying in to Glasgow for this year’s Commonwealth Games.
Adam Ramsay-Peaty, Georgia Hunter Bell, Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Josh Kerr, Eilish McColgan, Duncan Scott, and Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson are lining up at Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games.
The relaunched ‘Commonwealth Mile,’ first seen in the 1950s with athletes like Sir Roger Bannister, will be a highlight with new world record holder Kerr a clear favourite.
The flying Scot joked that he could shave even more time off his brand new record adding: “You may have to give me a couple of days because my body is feeling a little rough right now.”
He struggled to sleep after setting the new record ‘due to the adrenaline and caffeine’ in his system. “It is like a big hangover this morning,” he added. “But I have to get back into it with the Commonwealth Games coming up.”
Around 3,000 athletes from 74 countries are competing across ten sports for 215 gold medals, including 47 in Para sport (integrated events), with 500,000 tickets available. The first athletes from Canada, Australia and The Cook Islands arrived yesterday in time for Thursday’s opening ceremony. The new format Games are seen as a blueprint for a future Olympic bid by the North of England. They were due to be held in Victoria, Australia.
But organisers unexpectedly withdrew after costs hit £3.13 bn, far more than the £1.4 bn they had expected to spend. Glasgow is delivering the scaled-back event for £114m, with the majority of funding coming from the £100m compensation paid by the Australians.
Five years of event planning were completed in just one year. No public money is being used. King Charles and Queen Camilla are set to attend the opening ceremony. They will join athletes, officials, volunteers and spectators from across the Commonwealth to officially kick-off 11 days of sporting action at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow.
Sir Chris Hoy, one of Scotland’s most decorated athletes, will also take part in the opening ceremony, which 5 will broadcast live. He said: “It is an absolute honour to attend the opening of Glasgow 2026 with the King and Queen.
“A home Games is always a special occasion and I have so many wonderful memories from competing in the Commonwealth Games myself.
“I have no doubt the city of Glasgow will yet again be a superb host to what promises to be an exciting event and I very much look forward to being a part of it.”
Australia topped the Birmingham 2022 medal table with 179 medals, including 67 golds. Team England was just three behind on 176. Team Scotland won 51 medals with 13 golds. The other powerhouses are Canada, India and New Zealand.
The Scots challenge will be led by Kerr, who set a stunning 3:42.66 world one-mile record. Jake Wightman, Neil Gourley and Jemma Reekie, also run in the mile.
Defending champions Eilish McColgan and Laura Muir as well as Paralympic gold medallists Ben Sandilands and Owen Miller further strengthen the host nation’s hopes of success. England’s Georgia Hunter-Bell (800m) and Zharnel Hughes (200m) are set to star, while Jamaican sprinter Shericka Jackson is in the Relay mix.
The Men’s 4x100m will feature Canada’s Olympic gold medal-winning quartet, headlined by their most decorated male Olympian of all-time Andre De Grasse.
The Men’s 100m features London Diamond League winner Kanyinsola Ajayi who set a new national record of 9.84s. Among his rivals will be Kenya’s defending champion Ferdinand Omanyala. Welsh cycling legend Emma Finucane, the world, European and Olympic champion, competes after becoming the first British woman to win three medals at a single Olympic Games since 1964 when she triumphed in Paris.
She will be joined by compatriot, the swimmer Matt Richards. He said: “It is a battle of the Brits in the pool, but you have got to chuck the Aussies in there as well. It’s a pretty stacked field.”
England’s Emily Campbell, the most successful British female weightlifter of all-time, defends her Birmingham 2022 title.
* Tickets are available at glasgow2026.com/tickets.