The UK's Core Cities are known across the globe for their ability to host major events. On the eve of the opening ceremony, Glasgow City Council Leader Cllr Susan Aitken explains why her city is proud to stage the Commonwealth Games.
Over the next week-and-half, Glasgow will host the Commonwealth Games for the second time in less than 15 years.
The first, in 2014, was a real success for the city and is recognised as a standout Games in the modern era – but I had zero expectation that we would see them return so soon.
When the Australian state of Victoria abandoned its plans back in 2023, it is fair to say the whole concept of Commonwealth sport was pitched into a bit of a crisis.
With little time to find a new host, it looked like this year’s games just wouldn’t happen – a prospect which, in turn, raised real questions about whether it would ever return.
Organisers eventually imagined a new, streamlined Commonwealth Games – championed by Commonwealth Games Scotland - and, rather than seeking bids, approached Glasgow.
Since 2014, our city has quickly become the safest of safe pairs of hands when it comes to supporting big events. We were hand-picked, with Berlin, to host the first multi-sport European Championships. The first combined World Cycling Championships followed. Even during a global pandemic, the world came to Glasgow for COP26.
As you would expect, I’m proud of that record – but I’m also realistic about what it says about the challenges facing Commonwealth sport.
In the early part of this century, cities like Glasgow, Birmingham and Manchester have all welcomed Commonwealth nations and provided a platform for Commonwealth athletes – but the Games must have still felt quite remote to many.
The greatest number of Commonwealth countries are in Africa, a continent which has never hosted a games. The Caribbean, which is home to 14 Commonwealth territories and many of its finest athletes, hasn’t held the event since they went to Kingston in 1966.
This new model being forged in Glasgow, although smaller in scale – and budget – than before, has the chance to do something really quite big.
A more flexible approach to how many and what events make up a games in the new era must create real, viable opportunities for cities across all Commonwealth regions.
Glasgow, as a city that has gained so much from Commonwealth sport, can be proud to be giving something back.