The 2026 Commonwealth Games are mere weeks away. With the Australian athletes gearing up to represent their country, we have everything you need to know about what’s happening in Glasgow.
Olympian Ariarne Titmus is joining 7NEWS as a roving reporter for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
“I’m really excited to be joining Seven for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games,” Ariarne said in a statement. “The Commonwealth Games mean so much to the athletes competing, and I cannot wait to be on deck to deliver more incredible historic moments from the pool, live and free on Seven and 7plus Sport,” she continued.
To celebrate the upcoming Games, six-time ARIA Award winner Baker Boy composed a song to support the team.
“I’ve never written a song specifically for a campaign before, so this was a new and really fun experience for me. I tapped into the idea of songs that pump me up before I jump on stage, and wanted to create something that would give all the athletes that same level of energy before their events. It’s all about the journey, the underdog and taking out the gold, while brushing off the competition along the way.”
Listen to it here:
What are the Commonwealth Games?
The Commonwealth Games were first held in 1930 as the British Empire Games. However, they have evolved over the decades. Now, the Games are a way for the Commonwealth nations to connect through sport. It is also the first major multi-sport event to fully integrate para-sports in its program.
Australia has hosted it five times in its history (1938, 1962, 1982, 2006, 2018). The Gold Coast 2018 Games are the most recent held in Australia. We were meant to host them again in 2026 in Victoria. However, things changed.
Where are the 2026 Commonwealth Games happening?
The 2026 Commonwealth Games will take place in Glasgow, Scotland, from 23 July to 2 August (a day later in Australia thanks to time zones).
As mentioned, Victoria, Australia, was supposed to host the Games in 2026. However, the state had to bow out after the budget ballooned to untenable levels. Then-premier Daniel Andrews made the announcement that the state was cancelling the Games. However, Glasgow swooped in to host a pared-down version of the Games.
What sports are in the 2026 Commonwealth Games?
Over 3000 athletes from 74 nations will be taking part in the 2026 Games. However, there will only be 10 sports included in the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Those include:
- Athletics/para-athletics ((track and field)
- Swimming/ para-swimming
- Artistic gymnastics
- Track cycling / para-track cycling
- Netball
- Weightlifting / para-weight-lifting
- Boxing
- Judo
- Bowls / para-bowls
- 3×3 basketball / wheelchair basketball
It is the largest-ever integrated para-sport program.
But don’t think that just because it’s pared down, that doesn’t mean it will be any less exciting. There are 200 gold medals to be won. Furthermore, the 2026 Games will feature the biggest track cycling and swimming programs ever, with 26 medal events in the velodrome and 56 medal events in the pool.
Who is representing Australia at the 2026 Commonwealth Games?
The Australian Commonwealth team have just started announcing who will be representing Australia at Glasgow.
Here is who has been selected thus far:
Athletics:
Despite sharing that he would like to compete at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, Australia’s most exciting name in modern-day athletics, Gout Gout, is not competing. Instead, he is focusing on the World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon. However, he might be in with a shot of scoring a world junior title at those races.
| Name | Event | Age | State | Commonwealth Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liam Adcock | Long Jump | 29 | NSW | Debut |
| Isaac Beacroft | 10,000m Race Walk | 19 | NSW | Debut |
| Peter Bol | 800m | 32 | VIC | Birmingham 2022 – silver medallist |
| Abbey Caldwell | 800m | 24 | VIC | Birmingham 2022 – bronze medallist |
| Reece Holder | 400m | 23 | QLD | Debut |
| Claudia Hollingsworth | One Mile | 21 | VIC | Debut |
| Lachlan Kennedy | 100m | 22 | QLD | Debut |
| Nina Kennedy OAM | Pole Vault | 29 | WA | Birmingham 2022 – gold medallist; Gold Coast 2018 – bronze medallist |
| Elizabeth McMillen | 10,000m Race Walk | 22 | NSW | Debut |
| Cameron Myers | One Mile | 19 | ACT | Debut |
| Nicola Olyslagers | High Jump | 29 | NSW | Gold Coast 2018 – bronze medallist; Birmingham 2022 |
Para-Athletics
| NAME | EVENT | AGE | STATE | COMMONWEALTH GAMES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eliza Ault-Connell | Women’s 400m T54, Women’s 1500m T54 | 44 | ACT | Gold Coast 2018 – silver medallist |
| Angela Ballard | Women’s 400m T54, Women’s 1500m T54 | 43 | ACT | Melbourne 2006; Glasgow 2014 – gold medallist; Gold Coast 2018 – silver medallist; Brimingham 2022 – silver medallist |
| Briseis Brittan | Women’s 200m T38 | 17 | NT | Debut |
| Lexie Brown | Women’s 100m T47 | 14 | NSW | Debut |
| Michal Burian | Men’s Discus F42-44/F61-64 | 33 | VIC | Debut |
| Samuel Carter | Men’s 1500m T54 | 34 | ACT | Birmingham 2022 – bronze medallist |
| Julie Charlton | Women’s Shot Put F57 | 26 | NSW | Birmingham 2022 |
| Rhiannon Clarke | Women’s 100m T38, Women’s 200m T38 | 23 | WA | Gold Coast 2018 – silver medallist; Birmingham 2022 – bronze medallist |
| Mikaela Dingley | Women’s 1500m T54 | 31 | ACT | Debut |
| Aimee Fisher | Women’s 400m T54 | 24 | NSW | Debut |
| Lindsey Hendy | Men’s Long Jump T20 | 28 | QLD | Debut |
| Archer Hewett | Men’s 1500m T20 | 19 | VIC | Debut |
| Ainsley Hooker | Women’s Shot Put F57 | 39 | QLD | Debut |
| Nathan Jason | Men’s 100m T12 | 23 | QLD | Debut |
| Alya Kowalczyk | Women’s Long Jump T38 | 15 | NSW | Debut |
| Thomas McGough | Men’s 100m T38 | 15 | VIC | Debut |
| Daniel Milone | Men’s 1500m T20 | 25 | VIC | Debut |
| Ullrich Muller | Men’s 100m T38 | 19 | QLD | Debut |
| Sienna Newton | Women’s Long Jump T38 | 19 | NSW | Debut |
| Jaydon Page | Men’s 100m T47 | 21 | ACT | Birmingham 2022 – silver medallist |
| Ella Pardy | Women’s 100m T38 | 35 | WA | Glasgow 2014; Gold Coast 2018; Birmingham 2022 |
| Samuel Rizzo | Men’s 1500m T54 | 25 | VIC | Gold Coast 2018 |
| Layla Sharp | Women’s Long Jump T38 | 18 | NSW | Debut |
| Matthew Sheppard | Men’s Shot Put F57 | 37 | QLD | Debut |
Para-lifting
| NAME | EVENT | AGE | STATE | COMMONWEALTH GAMES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Bos | Men’s Lightweight | 28 | NSW | Debut |
| Natasha Price | Women’s Lightweight | 45 | QLD | Debut |
| Jade Pritchard | Women’s Lightweight | 44 | NSW | Debut |
| Hani Watson | Women’s Heavyweight | 43 | QLD | Birmingham 2022 – bronze medallist |
| Cameron Whittington | Men’s Heavyweight | 43 | NSW | Dehli 2010 – 16th |
| Benjamin Wright | Men’s Heavyweight | 38 | WA | Birmingham 2022 – bronze medallist; Gold Coast 2018 – 6th; Glasgow 2014 – 10th |
Boxing
| NAME | EVENT | AGE | STATE | COMMONWEALTH GAMES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eve Bryson | Women’s 65kg | 20 | NSW | Debut |
| Jacob Cassar | Men’s 65kg | 19 | VIC | Debut |
| Jye Dixon | Men’s 55kg | 19 | QLD | Debut |
| Emma-Sue Greentree | Women’s 75kg | 27 | NSW | Debut |
| Lachlan Lawson | Men’s 90kg | 22 | NSW | Debut |
| Lekeisha Pergoliti | Women’s 70kg | 24 | WA | Debut |
| Monique Suraci | Women’s 54kg | 25 | ACT | Debut |
| Paul Trainor | Men’s 80kg | 24 | NSW | Debut |
Para-Swimming
Paralympian Alexa Leary was expected to represent Australia. However, she was reclassified. Find out more here.
| NAME | EVENT | AGE | STATE | COMMONWEALTH GAMES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emily Beecroft OAM | 100m Freestyle SB9 | 26 | QLD | Birmingham 2022 – bronze medallist |
| Victoria Belando Nicholson | 100m Freestyle S9, 100m Backstroke S9 | 18 | QLD | Debut |
| Jasmin Fullgrabe | 100m Backstroke S9 | 20 | SA | Debut |
| Alyssa Gillespie | 100m Breaststroke SB8 | 17 | NSW | Debut |
| Jasmine Greenwood | 200m Individual Medley SM10 | 21 | ACT | Gold Coast 2018; Birmingham 2022 – gold medallist |
| Kirralee Hayes | 50m Freestyle S13, 100m Freestyle S13 | 21 | QLD | Birmingham 2022 – bronze medallist |
| Timothy Hodge OAM | 100m Backstroke S9, 100m Breaststroke SB9 | 25 | NSW | Gold Coast – two-time silver medallist; Birmingham 2022 – gold and silver medallist |
| Mia Hogan | 50m Freestyle S13, 100m Freestyle S13 | 14 | NSW | Debut |
| Jack Ireland | 200m Freestyle S14 | 26 | QLD | Birmingham 2022 – bronze medallist |
| Jenna Jones | 200m Freestyle S14 | 25 | QLD | Birmingham 2022 |
| Beau Matthews | 100m Breaststroke SB9 | 17 | NSW | Debut |
| Maddie McTernan | 200m Freestyle S14 | 25 | QLD | Birmingham 2022 |
| Lakeisha Patterson OAM | 100m Freestyle S9 | 27 | QLD | Glasgow 2014 – bronze medallist; Gold Coast 2018 – two-time gold medallist; Birmingham 2022 |
| Col Pearse | 100m Butterfly S10 | 22 | VIC | Birmingham 2022 – gold medallist |
| Alex Saffy | 100m Butterfly S10 | 20 | ACT | Birmingham 2022 – silver medallist |
| Gemma Sellick | 100m Backstroke S9, 100m Breaststroke SB8 | 16 | NSW | Debut |
| Liam Togher | 100m Backstroke S9 | 16 | NSW | Debut |
| Harrison Vig | 100m Backstroke S9 | 23 | QLD | Birmingham 2022 |
The 2026 Commonwealth Games will take place from 23 July to 2 August (24 July in Australia). Watch live on Seven and stream on demand on 7plus Sport.
