Kiwi medal hopes take hit at revamped Glasgow Commonwealth Games

Glasgow has confirmed it will stage the 2026 Commonwealth Games, but the programme will be slashed back to 10 sports, with some of New Zealand's best medal hopes missing out.

The decision effectively halves the number of sports contested at Birmingham 2022.

Among those missing out are rugby sevens, cricket, squash, wrestling, road cycling, mountain biking and triathlon, which accounted for 13 of our 50 medals two years ago, including five golds to Sam Gaze (mountain biking), Paul Coll (squash singles), Joelle King and Coll (squash mixed doubles), King and Amanda Landers-Murphy (squad mixed doubles) and Aaron Gate (cycling road race).

The Kiwis have dominated Commonwealth Games sevens, winning six of the nine gold medals contested since Kuala Lumpur 1998.

At Birmingham, Gaze successfully defended the mountain biking gold he won at Gold Coast 2018, with Ben Oliver completing an NZ one-two finish.

Men's cycling road race has provided more medals than any other single Commonwealth Games event — 18, including golds to Bruce Biddle (Edinburgh 1970), Graeme Miller (Auckland 1990), Mark Rendell (Victoria 1994) and Gate.

Over the past two Games, New Zealand have won five of the 10 gold medals available in squash. Our newly crowned world champion White Ferns, now, won't have a chance to improve on their bronze medal in the Twenty20 format at Birmingham.

Glasgow's programme will be centred across four venues within a 13km corridor, with 500,000 tickets available at athletics and para-athletics, swimming and para-swimming, artistic gymnastics, track cycling and para track cycling, netball, weightlifting and para powerlifting, boxing, judo, bowls and para bowls, and 3x3 basketball and 3x3 wheelchair basketball.

The Scots have stepped up just 12 years after last hosting the Commonwealth Games in the same city, replacing the Australian state of Victoria, which withdrew from the event last year.

‘"On behalf of the entire Commonwealth sport movement, we are delighted to officially confirm that the 2026 Commonwealth Games will take place in the host city of Glasgow," said Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive Katie Sadleir.

"The Games promise to be a truly immersive festival of sport, and celebration of culture and diversity that inspires athletes and sports – with a fan experience more accessible than ever before.

‘"With the Commonwealth Games held in such high esteem by athletes, sports and nations across the Commonwealth, we have been working tirelessly with our fellow stakeholders to ensure a high-quality Games will take place in 2026, securing this vital milestone in the career pathway for thousands of athletes.

‘’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 minimises costs, reduces the environmental footprint and enhances social impact, in doing so increasing the scope of countries capable of hosting."

Victoria backed out of the hosting agreement amid concerns over the rising cost of facilities and infrastructure for the Games.