23rd Commonwealth Games – Glasgow 2026
The Countdown Begins For The 23rd Commonwealth Games Edition In Scotland’s Premier City
By Shri Pradeep Trivedi
Author | Sports Analyst | Journalist
Freelance Writer | Author | Sports Analyst | Lecturer | Sports Journalist
English translation adapted from the original Gujarati article without changes to the content or experiences described by the author.
The 23rd Commonwealth Games are being held in Glasgow, a city famous for being the “City of Style”. Glasgow is Scotland’s biggest and coolest city, well-known for both its industries and its culture. It has won the title of “UNESCO City of Music”. This big sports festival will be played for 11 days, from 23rd July to 2nd August. The people of Glasgow are called “Weegies”, and they are known as the friendliest and funniest people in the world. Glasgow is also called the “Curry Capital of the UK” and is known as the place where “Chicken Tikka Masala” was invented. Haggis is their national dish. This is the biggest sports event for the countries that are members of the “Commonwealth of Nations”. In this year’s Commonwealth Games, around 3,000 athletes from 74 countries will take part in 215 events across 10 different sports.
The Beginning
The idea to start this kind of sports event was first thought of by John Astley Cooper in 1891. To support his idea, John Astley Cooper committees were set up in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. This idea also inspired Pierre de Coubertin of France to start the Modern Olympic Games. The first try to run this event was in 1911 in London during the coronation celebration of King George V. Teams from Australia, Canada, South Africa and the United Kingdom took part. Canada won the championship and received a silver cup from Lord Lonsdale. The ‘Commonwealth of Nations’ includes most of the countries that were once part of the British Empire.
Historical and Memorable Events :
- Vancouver 1954: At the 5th Commonwealth Games, a “Miracle Mile” happened. For the first time, two runners, Roger Bannister and John Landy, both finished the one-mile race in under 4 minutes.
- Perth 1962: At the 7th Commonwealth Games, the event was broadcast live on television for the very first time.
- Kuala Lumpur 1998: Cricket was included in the 16th Commonwealth Games for the first time. South Africa won the gold medal. India sent a team led by Ajay Jadeja.
- Manchester 2002: At the 17th Commonwealth Games, “Para-Sports” (sports for athletes with disabilities) were included in the main medal table for the first time, giving them equal status.
- New Delhi 2010: The whole world praised India for the opening ceremony and the Commonwealth Games Village at the 19th Games. India scored a “century” of medals for the first time by winning 101 medals.
- Victoria 1994: During the opening ceremony of the 15th Commonwealth Games, a lighting catwalk collapsed! Two people were injured, but the opening ceremony still carried on.
- Melbourne 2006: At the 18th Commonwealth Games, several players from the Cameroon team went missing! Eight athletes vanished before the Games even finished to look for “political asylum”. They never went back to their home country!
- Glasgow 2014: A romantic moment happened at the 20th Commonwealth Games. England’s 22-year-old beautiful high jumper, Isobel Pooley, won the silver medal with a jump of 1.92 metres. After her win, she gave her girlfriend a tight hug and a big kiss. (This was the first big romantic moment for the LGBTQ community at the Commonwealth Games.
- Birmingham 2022: Women’s T20 cricket was played for the first time at the 22nd Commonwealth Games. India won the silver medal under the leadership of Harmanpreet Kaur. Australia won the gold medal.
Interesting Records :
- Australia has won the most gold medals, with 1,001 golds. It is the only country to win more than 1,000 gold medals.
- Australia has won the most total medals, with 2,596 medals (1,001 gold + 832 silver + 763 bronze). It is the only country to win more than 2,500 medals in total.
- The record for the most gold medals won in a single Games is 6. This is held by Canadian swimmer Graham Smith (1978), Australian swimmer Susie O’Neill (1998), Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe (2002) and Australian swimmer Emma McKeon (2022).
- The youngest person to win a gold medal is Alexandre Despatie from Canada. He was only 13 years and 74 days old when he won the 10-metre platform diving event at the 1998 Games in Kuala Lumpur.
- The youngest Indian to win a gold medal is Ved Prakash. He won the light flyweight wrestling event at the 1970 Games in Edinburgh when he was just 14 years old.
- The record for the most career gold medals is held by the Australian swimmer Emma McKeon, who has won 14 gold medals. She took part in three Commonwealth Games (four golds in 2014, four in 2018 and six in 2022), winning a total of 20 medals, including her 14 golds.
- The Indian player with the most medals is shooter Jaspal Rana, who won a total of 15 medals in his career between 1994 and 2006. This includes 9 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze medals.
- Indian shooter Samresh Jung made history by winning the most medals in a single Games, picking up 7 medals at Melbourne in 2006. This included 5 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze medal.
So, the Commonwealth Games have always been very exciting. The next 24th “Commonwealth Games” will mark 100 years since the event started. This centenary event will be held in India, in Ahmedabad, in the year 2030. So, let us start preparing to welcome it!
Acknowledgement:
Newz Daddy extends sincere thanks to Shri Pradeep Trivedi, author, sports analyst and journalist, for sharing his memorable FIFA World Cup journey from Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. We also appreciate the photographs and personal experiences that have enriched this article.