Glasgow hosting Commonwealth Games ‘absolutely’ no-brainer – Lord McConnell

It is “absolutely” a no-brainer that Glasgow should host the Commonwealth Games in 2026, Lord Jack McConnell has said.

The former Scottish first minister said bringing the games back to Glasgow would be good for Scotland and see the country contributing on an international stage.

He also said that by designing a scaled-down version of the event, Commonwealth Games Scotland may well have “saved the Commonwealth Games for the foreseeable future” as other cities may find hosting them financially viable.

The Australian state of Victoria withdrew as hosts last year citing a rise in estimated costs, meaning Glasgow – which last hosted the event in 2014 – could once again welcome athletes from the Commonwealth nations.

Scottish Government officials have been meeting Commonwealth Games Australia representatives this week to discuss the potential for the next instalment of the multi-sport event to be moved to Scotland’s largest city.

The PA news agency understands Scottish ministers will discuss the games at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, with an announcement due later in the day.

Lord McConnell was asked on BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme whether it would be a “no-brainer” for the games to return to Glasgow.

He said: “Oh, absolutely. This is a fantastic effort by the Commonwealth Games council for Scotland, otherwise known as Team Scotland, who have stepped in and not only helped design a scaled-down games that will, in the short term, leave these games, but maybe in the long term, make the games viable for other cities around the world.

“But they’ve also pushed very hard and managed to persuade the politicians to raise their ambitions a bit and back the idea.

“So I think it’s great, and I’m delighted that finally people have come together.

“This will be good for Scottish sport. It will be good for Scotland and it will be very good for the Commonwealth Games.”

Lord McConnell, who was involved in the successful bid to bring the 2014 games to Glasgow, said bringing the event back would be good for the city and might help it “spruce itself up a bit and use these amazing facilities again”.

He said that the funds for the games are coming from the taxpayers of Victoria, Australia, where money had been set aside.

He said: “The politicians changed their minds, and the funds are there and ready for Scotland and for Glasgow to use.

“That’s why people have said it’s a no-brainer, and the very, very small amount that will need to be spent in Glasgow and Scotland, frankly, I think in Glasgow is long overdue to be spent anyway.”

Lord McConnell said that Commonwealth Games Scotland has done a great service by designing a scaled-down version of the event.

He said: “I think we’ll now see the opportunities roll out to places that, frankly, just couldn’t afford the games in the way that they were growing.

“If this Glasgow games can get the backing today, can then happen successfully, I think we will see in future decisions, we’ll see cities competing for the games, and it will not just be scraping around to find out who will pick up the tab, but actually people saying we’re going to be next.”

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes later told the same programme that Health Secretary Neil Gray would “keep the parliament informed about his decision”, hinting that any announcement would be made in Holyrood.

“The Commonwealth Games, I would hope, would be something that we’re all invested in, right across the country, beyond parliament, so it is important that other MSPs can scrutinise that decision prior to the media scrutinising it,” she said.

The multi-sport event is held every four years across Commonwealth countries, with Birmingham the most recent host city in 2022. Edinburgh hosted the Games in 1970 and 1986.