King Charles III was expected to preside over the opening ceremony of the 23rd Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland on Thursday night against the backdrop of an intense debate about the future of the games.
The Commonwealth Games might be the biggest sports festival in the world after the Olympic Games, but the quadrennial championships have over the years faced uncertainty due to funding challenges, countries pulling out as hosts, and a reduced number of disciplines occasioned by the spiralling cost of staging the championship.
The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event that brings together athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, a political association of mainly former British colonies.
The Games were first held in 1930 as ‘British Empire Games’. In 1950, the Games changed names to ‘British Empire and Commonwealth Games’ and kept that name till 1966.
In 1974, they were re-branded ‘British Commonwealth Games.’ In 1978, they became known as Commonwealth Games. The “Friendly Games” is a common reference used for the games because of the unity, shared history, and camaraderie among member nations, which all share a common working language of English.
Kenya is the second most successful African country at the Commonwealth Games behind South Africa with 258 medals (91 gold, 80 silver and 87 bronze). South Africa has 416 medals (137 gold, 132 silver and 147 bronze). Overall, Kenya ranks eighth in the medal standings, and South Africa is sixth. Australia tops with a total of 2,604 medals (1,003 gold, 834 silver and 767 bronze).
The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) membership has been growing and Africa has played a significant role in its growth. Gabon and Togo joined in 2023, and Benin is due to join. The Games grew from 11 nations that participated in the 1930 Hamilton Games in Canada to 74 nations and territories competing at 2026 Glasgow.
But the Games have been hit by the withdrawal of host nations. Australian state of Victoria backed out from hosting the 23rd Commonwealth Games that were scheduled for 2026 over budget concerns in July last year.
The Games had struggled to find a host for the “Club” Games before Victoria volunteered to host them in April, 2022.
Sports Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi hands the national flag to Team Kenya captain Julius Yego and assistant captain Zeddy Cherotich during the team's flag-off for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, on July 20, 2026.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
That wasn’t the first time a host was walking away from their agreement to host the Commonwealth Games after two cities initially launched bids for the 2022 Games - Durban, South Africa, and Edmonton, Canada.
Edmonton withdrew its bid in February 2015, leaving Durban that had secured the right to host the games, as they were the sole bidder for the event.
It would have marked the first time the games were held in Africa and the second time a Commonwealth republic would have hosted, following Delhi, India, in 2010.
However, that never came to pass as organisers stripped Durban of their rights to host the Games in March 2017 due to financial constraints, and relaunched the bidding process. English cities Birmingham and Liverpool expressed interest in hosting the Games.
Glasgow stepped in to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games after a deal was backed by the Scottish government.
The cost of hosting the games has been reduced from between Sh212 billion and Sh130 billion spent in 2022 Birmingham and 2018 Gold Coast to Sh30 billion.
The number of events have been scaled down this year as the games return to the Scottish city after 12 years. It would feature 215 events in 10 sports, compared to 283 events in 20 sports in 2022.
However, Commonwealth Games Federation president Donald Rukare from Uganda said on Wednesday in Glasgow that the future of the games is bright and that the games remain the platform where champions are made.
While Scotland might have stepped in to mitigate the crisis after Victoria withdrew as hosts in July 2023, having fewer events in Glasgow is just a temporary measure.
With Ahmedabad, India, set to host the 2030 Centenary Games, Rukare said the Glasgow Games present an opportunity to reflect its diverse, multicultural makeup and potentially pave the way for an African-hosted Games in the future.
“We want to see Games that reflect the diversity, the multicultural cultures that we have,” Rukare told the media in Glasgow.
National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) Deputy President, Barnaba Korir, said it will be make or break after this year’s games, adding that it will be upon heads of state in the Commonwealth Games grouping to guarantee the future of the games.
Korir states that the future of the games relies on reforms, sustainability, and the adoption of cost-effective models that won’t strain a country’s financial muscles.
