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What's in, what's out, for Glasgow 2026

Just 10 events will feature in a scaled-back Commonwealth Games in Glasgow with some prominent sports missing out on the final cut.
Joelle King (left) and Paul Coll won't be able to add to their medal collections at Glasgow 2026 as squash has been cut from the Commonwealth Games PHOTO: PSA TOUR

Just 10 events will feature in a scaled-back Commonwealth Games in Glasgow with some prominent sports missing out on the final cut.


Rugby sevens, squash and hockey are among the sports to miss out accounting for a huge number of medals over the years.


Games organisers confirmed this week the event list for the 2026 Games, which will be held in Scotland from 23 July 23 to 2 August.


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The slimmed-down program has also axed diving, badminton, beach volleyball, cricket, road cycling and mountain biking, rhythmic gymnastics, table tennis and para table tennis, triathlon and para triathlon, and wrestling.


In 2026, Glasgow will host athletics and para athletics, swimming and para swimming, artistic gymnastics, track cycling and para track cycling, netball, weightlifting and para powerlifting, boxing, judo, lawn bowls and para bowls, 3x3 basketball and 3x3 wheelchair basketball.


Men's rugby sevens was first played in 1998 and has been an exceptionally successful event with the All Blacks Sevens winning five gold medals. The Black Ferns Sevens have won a gold and bronze in the two Games that the women's event has been staged.


Field hockey has been on every program since Kuala Lumpur in 1998, while diving had been at every edition dating back to the 1930 Empire Games, and road cycling had featured since 1938.


Squash has seen medals at every Commonwealth Games for New Zealand since it started in KL in 1998 particularly with Paul Coll and Joelle King over the last two Games.


Wrestling featured at the 1911 Festival of Empire and all but three - 1990, 1998 and 2006 - Commonwealth Games since then.


Glasgow, which hosted the Games in 2014, stepped in late after the Victorian government withdrew its pledge to host the event in Melbourne.


Organisers have said the want for a financially sustainable event, developed in a short timeframe, was a catalyst for the trimmed-down program.


Glasgow stepped in to host the Games and earmarked early on its ambition to have a trimmed-down version of the event


Sports included in Glasgow 2026: athletics and para athletics, swimming and para swimming, artistic gymnastics, track cycling and para track cycling, netball, weightlifting and para powerlifting, boxing, judo, lawn bowls and para bowls, 3x3 basketball and 3x3 wheelchair basketball.

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