Will Glasgow be last leg or clever rebirth for Commonwealths?

The past clip Glasgow was successful contention to shape nan Commonwealth Games, nan bid squad called connected nan services of 007.

Back successful 2007, erstwhile James Bond character Sir Sean Connery pulled retired his exploding pen and wrote individual letters to each of nan Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) delegates to explicate why they should prime Scotland's largest metropolis complete Abuja, Nigeria.

He was joined by different knight of nan realm - Sir Steve Redgrave, nan first British jock to triumph 5 Olympic golds - successful backing Glasgow's bid.

In total, much than one-and-a-half cardinal group signed up to perpetrate their support to hosting nan 2014 Games.

Securing nan 2026 Games has not required specified a high-profile campaign.

Glasgow has not had to move connected nan charm. Instead, it has had to person itself of nan merits of being host.

The 2026 version was expected to beryllium staged successful Victoria. At Birmingham 2022's closing ceremony, 4 indigenous elders from nan Australian authorities were handed nan emblem arsenic nan adjacent hosts.

Within a year, they had handed it back.

The fund for nan Games had rocketed. State Premier Daniel Andrews said that, for each nan nonaccomplishment of face, he did not person to deliberation agelong astir cancelling connected nan CGF.

Describing nan Games arsenic "all costs and nary benefit", Andrews said "I've made a batch of very difficult decisions successful this occupation - this is not 1 of them".

So, why does Glasgow deliberation it is an arena still worthy having?

Firstly, they judge nan numbers adhd up. Glasgow's calculations are that a operation of CGF funds, a financial sweetener from Victoria and backstage finance will debar nan usage of immoderate UK nationalist money.

The 2026 Games programme will besides beryllium slimmed down to lighten nan load connected nan bottommost line.

The scheme is to shape arsenic fewer arsenic 10 sports, compared to nan 18-strong schedule successful 2014, and to usage existing venues alternatively than build from scratch.

The measurement Birmingham projected a feel-good look onto England's 2nd metropolis shows nan occurrence nan Games tin be.

However, nan city's consequent financial struggles, with its assembly efficaciously declaring bankruptcy successful September 2023, besides underlines nan stakes involved.

Clare Hartley is nan co-founder of Arc Event Consultancy and has worked pinch multi-sport arena organisers, including Manchester 2006 and Birmingham 2022, for astir 25 years,

"It is conscionable very difficult to put these multi-sport events on," she says.

"They are very expensive, they require a batch of different venues and logistically they are very challenging.

"Multi-sport events are immense projects that return up truthful overmuch money and clip and much countries and cities are weighing up much cautiously whether it is worthy hosting them."

The sporting almanac is acold busier than it was successful 1930, erstwhile nan first Commonwealth Games took place, offering prima athletes lucrative alternatives but besides giving imaginable hosts nan chance to put connected events that amended suit section tastes and budgets.

The Commonwealth Games - which has basal infrastructure and a assortment of venues comparable to an Olympics, without nan bumper broadcasting receipts aliases world sponsorship deals to offset them - will ever beryllium a tricky proposition.

"You look astatine Singapore," says Hartley.

"It is simply a sporting nation, portion of nan Commonwealth, a prosperous nation, and they are hosting nan World Aquatics Championships adjacent year, alternatively than bidding for nan Commonwealths.

"There are truthful galore sporting opportunities retired there, nations tin prime and take a small spot and nan Commonwealth Games has not been of arsenic overmuch interest."

Hartley believes that paring backmost nan programme of sports for 2026 could springiness organisers nan chance to specify nan Commonwealth Game much clearly, arsenic good arsenic reducing costs.

"It could beryllium a chance for nan Commonwealth Games to really person a deliberation astir it," she says.

"They could attraction connected sports wherever nan Commonwealth Games is still nan highest level of competition, specified arsenic netball or, surely earlier it gets it changeable astatine nan Olympics successful 2028, squash.

"Could it beryllium positioned it arsenic a junior-level arena successful things for illustration athletics and swimming and a showcase for those different sports? There whitethorn beryllium a niche for it there."

But location whitethorn not be.

Glasgow would beryllium conscionable nan latest stop-gap host. Birmingham staged nan 2022 Games only aft a shortage of costs forced original big Durban to propulsion out.

Alberta, nan Canadian state that was pencilled successful for 2030, has besides ditched its plans to put connected nan Games.

Hosting of nan Commonwealth Games is now caught successful a presumably unsustainable shuttle betwixt Australia and Great Britain, pinch Glasgow 2026 making it six of nan past 7 events staged successful 1 of nan 2 nations.

However it rejigs itself successful nan future, nan Games besides has an inescapable past.

Originally launched arsenic nan British Empire Games, it is rooted successful an era very distant from modern sensibilities.

It whitethorn beryllium that yet excessively overmuch title and excessively small relevance will spot clip tally retired connected nan Commonwealth Games.

"I deliberation it is successful threat of coming to nan extremity of its cycle," says Hartley.

"The European Games is still rather new, it hasn't rather recovered its footing yet, but it could get stronger.

"It has nan weight of a batch of world federations and links into nan European Broadcasting Union [a continental organisation of nationalist work media organisations] and nan Olympic Games.

"You look astatine nan occurrence of nan Pan American and Pan Asian games – they are immense – and it could beryllium that they overtakes nan Commonwealth Games."

If nan title is tally connected a adjacent century-long Commonwealth Games history, it will time off a spread behind.

A pinnacle will beryllium missing successful immoderate sports' skyline. A chance to correspond their location federation will beryllium gone for British athletes. A valuable level for disablement athletics will person disappeared.

For now, though, it continues.

When Glasgow bid for nan 2014 Games, its transportation included a committedness to attraction for nan Commonwealths "not conscionable for 11 days aliases moreover for 4 years but... for generations to come".

The authors could not person known what a difficult task that would be. Or what a cardinal domiciled their metropolis would extremity up playing successful it.