No rugby, field hockey, badminton, triathlon or cricket at leaner 2026 Commonwealth Games

Scotland conceived rugby sevens in the 1880s yet it will not feature in the scaled-back 2026 Commonwealth Games hosted by Glasgow. Other sports dropped include field hockey, triathlon, badminton, Twenty20 cricket, squash and diving.

About 3,000 athletes to compete in Scotland from up to 74 Commonwealth nations

Canadian athlete Caeli McKay, who earned diving bronze at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, poses with her medal after the women's 10-metre platform final in Birmingham, England on Aug. 4, 2022.
Canadian diver Caeli McKay, pictured with her bronze medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, won't get a chance to match or improve her performance in two years as the sport has been dropped in a scaled-back Games for Scotland in 2026. (Alex Pantling/Getty Images/File)

Scotland conceived rugby sevens in the 1880s yet it will not feature in the scaled-back 2026 Commonwealth Games hosted by Glasgow.

Other sports dropped include field hockey, triathlon, badminton, Twenty20 cricket, squash and diving.

The Games will have a 10-sport program in four venues. Athletics and swimming are compulsory while there will also be track cycling, gymnastics, netball, weightlifting, boxing, judo, bowls and 3x3 basketball.

There will also be integrated Para events in six of those sports: Athletics, swimming, track cycling, weightlifting, bowls and basketball.

The Games run July 23-Aug. 2 after Glasgow stepped in when the Australian state of Victoria withdrew last year because of rising costs.

It was not easy to decide which sports to include, Commonwealth Games Scotland chairman Ian Reid told the BBC on Tuesday.

"I think everybody recognizes that these events need to be more affordable, lighter and we would have loved to have all of our sports and all of our athletes competing but unfortunately it's just not deliverable or affordable for this time frame," Reid said.

Athletes and support staff will be housed in hotels. Around 3,000 athletes are expected to compete from up to 74 Commonwealth nations and territories representing a combined total of 2.5 billion people, a third of the world's entire population.

More than 500,000 tickets made available for spectators.

The Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive Katie Sadleir said: "The 2026 Games will be a bridge to the Commonwealth Games of tomorrow, an exciting first step in our journey to reset and redefine the Games as a truly collaborative, flexible and sustainable model for the future that minimizes costs, reduces the environmental footprint, and enhances social impact. In doing so, increasing the scope of countries capable of hosting."

Glasgow hosted the event in 2014 at a cost of more than 540 million pounds ($700 milion US).

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